After gathering up our small group of adventurers and history buffs, we’ll hit the trail for a day in California’s Gold Country. On the way, you’ll pass through the bountiful San Joaquin (Central) Valley before beginning a gradual ascent to the Sierra Nevada mountains where gold was  first discovered at Sutter’s Mill.

You’ll be transported back 150+ years at Angels Camp Museum, where the extraordinary stories of California’s ‘49ers and the Mother Lode region will come to life. Stroll at your own pace exploring outdoor exhibits dedicated to carriages, wagons, steam engines, mining equipment, even Mark Twain.

Get ready for a stunning 1.7-mile hike (conditions permitting) to a stand of 100 Giant Sequoias, the only region in the world where these trees grow and thrive. The North Grove of Calaveras Big Trees State Park includes the "Discovery Tree", aka the "Big Stump" which was the first casualty in the rush to exploit the giant trees.

After Thaddeus and George Hildreth struck gold near Columbia in 1850, miners and adventure seekers soon streamed in to seek their fortunes. Today, Columbia State Historic Park features the largest collection of gold rush-era structures in the state. Period merchants, a blacksmith shop and the rumble of a stagecoach complete the experience of a nineteenth century mining town.

It will be lunch time, so pick out an Old West restaurant, ice cream parlor, candy shoppe, saloon or tea house to ward off those hunger pangs. Be sure to grab a cold, locally-made Sarsaparilla and head over to the portrait studio for an old-time photo.

The final chapter of California gold country history will be in Jamestown, CA (a designated California Historical Landmark) where you will have a choice of optional experiences—panning for real gold or riding a restored 1850s steam train! Tough choice.

If you’re feelin’ lucky, mosey on over Woods Creek where local guides, dressed in period costume, will fill in some California Gold Rush history and demonstrate the skills you’ll need to successfully pan for gold. Past guests have taken over 300 ounces of gold from this spot in the heart of the Mother Lode—Eureka!

Your other Jamestown choice is to ride behind a steam locomotive on a train trip through the rugged and timeless California Gold Country hills at Railtown State Historic Park. Your 6-mile, 45-minute round trip train ride to Rock Spur will take you past the actual Petticoat Junction water tower!

As the sun gets low in the West, our Gold Country explorer tour will be coming to an end. Your guide will have a few more old west stories to tell before arriving back where we started in San Francisco.

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TOUR ITINERARY

7:00 AM

Depart San Francisco for the Gold Country

9:30 AM

Tour Angels Camp Gold Rush History Museum

11:00 AM

Hike among Giant Sequoias in Calaveras Big Trees State Park

12:45 PM

Explore the historic Gold Rush town of Columbia

2:30 PM

Pan for gold or ride an 1850s steam train in Jamestown, CA

6:30 PM

Return to your starting point in San Francisco