DRIVE » TOUR

NAVIGATING A TOUR

through the Gold Country couldn’t be easier: HIGHWAY

49—named for the original 49ers—traverses the entire region. It stretches nearly 300 miles through the

Sierra foothills, from DOWNIEVILLE in the north

to OAKHURST in the south, linking all the Gold

Country’s major towns and sights. Allow at least two

days for the journey. Start with a mountain-biking excursion in DOWNIEVILLE, poke around the galleries and antique shops of NEVADA CITY and drop by the site where

Marshall and Sutter found those first sparkling nuggets in COLOMA. SUTTER CREEK, with a bounty of inviting B&BS and restaurants serving

the local wine, is a good place to spend the night. On your second day, explore ANGELS Camp—perhaps pausing to wager on a frog if it’s

jumping season (the third week in May)—try your hand at panning for gold at COLUMBIA STATE HISTORIC PARK and take a ride on the historic steam train in JAMESTOWN’S RAILTOWN 1897 STATE HISTORIC PARK.