Saloon-hop with gold hunters

The discovery of gold brought people from around the world to California in the mid-1800s. And it’s in those Gold Rush towns that some of the Golden State’s oldest bars still operate. Here are four saloons offering a step back into the Old West.

Groveland

The Iron Door Saloon, whose sign proclaims it “California’s oldest saloon,” sits on Groveland’s Main Street about 25 miles from the westernmost entrance of Yosemite National Park. Bullet holes in the ceiling and stories of rattlesnakes that were once kept in cages near the pool tables hint strongly at a rowdy past. A longstanding tradition is for patrons to write their name and the date on a dollar bill and pin it to the ceiling. The money is donated to charity. Info: irondoorsaloon.com

Murphys

Murphys Hotel has a watering hole whose “atmosphere is straight out of the 1800s,” its website says. The saloon, about 43 miles northwest of Groveland, showcases moose, elk and deer heads donated by local hunters. You can order a green shot made with vodka, triple sec and Midori. Its inspiration? Mark Twain, author of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” stayed at the hotel in 1877. Info: murphyshotel.com/ saloon

Mariposa

Similar to Groveland’s Iron Door, the Hideout Saloon in downtown Mariposa also attracts locals and visitors to Yosemite. It's about 30 miles south of the national park along California 140. You’ll see dollar bills on the ceiling and historic stone walls, a tradition that dates to the days when miners left their money before they headed out in search of gold. . Info: bit.ly/mariposahideout

San Francisco

Ever wonder how all those miners got to California? Look no farther than the Old Ship Saloon’s cocktail menu.The description for its Gold Rush drink (made with bourbon, lemon and honey) reads, “The fastest mode of transportation to the first stop for the gold fields, San Francisco, was aboard a vessel.” In 1851, the Old Ship Saloon — built on the ruins of a ship known as the Arkansas — became a bar when an “enterprising Englishman cut a hole in the side of the ship, dropped a gangplank with a sign reading, ‘Gud, bad and indif ’rent spirits sold here! 25¢ each.’ ” Info: theoldshipsf.com