California Road Trips 2008 - (Page 18) california road trips 2008 GOLD COUNTRY S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E Search for adventure From a rollicking ride down the American River and a jaunt to the High Sierra, to exploring old mine shafts and looking for gold, you'll find boundless adventure in this region. Auburn. Splash in the North Fork American at Auburn State Recreation Area. Refuel with milkshakes and pie at Ikedas, then visit the California Welcome Center SM to find more ways to play. INFO: 530/885-4527 Grass Valley (24 mi/39 km: 36 min). Disappear into a 30-foot mine shaft at Empire Mine State Historic Park. In town, tempt your taste buds with handmade truffles from Dorado Chocolates. INFO: 800/655-4667 Volcano (46 mi/74 km: 53 min). Mine for gems at Black Chasm Cavern. Discover hundreds of mortar holes, used for making acorn meal, at Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. INFO: 209/223-0350 Jackson (12 mi/20 km: 16 min). Browse antique and gift shops, then drive seven miles south on Highway 49 to the Gold Rush town of Mokelumne Hill. Enjoy a glass of delicious local wine at the original bar in the 1851 Hotel Léger. INFO: 209/223-0350 Explore a Miwok Indian roundhouse in Volcano; nab trout in Hope Valley (below) Tahoe City (69 mi/111 km; 1 hr 29 min). See classic boats at Sierra Boat Company’s restoration shops, showrooms, and marina. At Tahoe City Golf Course, enjoy a low-key day on the links—great for families. INFO: More Tahoe 888/434-1262 fun, see page 32. Somerset (30 mi/48 km: 39 min). Sip wines from the Shenandoah Valley, one of the state’s fastest-growing wine regions, best known for Zinfandels. Enjoy familyrun tasting rooms. INFO: 888/655-8614 49 Hope Valley (45 mi/72 km: 1 hr 19 min). Search for wildflowers in this breathtaking alpine valley. Stop at Sorensen’s Resort for lunch on the deck, then try flyfishing on the West Fork Carson. INFO: 800/423-9949 1 Nevada 20 City Grass Valley 174 N EVADA CALIFORNIA 80 89 395 EMPIRE MINE SHP 49 Tahoe City Lake Tahoe Auburn Cool 193 88 50 Caples Lake (14 mi/23 km: 20 min). Explore the shoreline in a canoe, then grab a burger at the once rough-and-tumble 1864 Kirkwood Inn (look for cowboy's bullet holes in the walls). INFO: 530/694-2475 80 50 2 Coloma E16 Hope Valley 89 3 Caples Lake Somerset 16 49 Volcano Jackson 0 88 N 15 mi Coloma (24 mi/36 km: 36 min). Justin Baile/Getty, Thomas Hallstein/Ambient Images 3 18 3 more ways to… find golden moments Rock and roll on a rafting trip on the roiling South Fork American. Coloma Club Cafe & Saloon gets especially lively during rafting season, April to October. INFO: 800/457-6279 1 Soak in the natural stone “pools” along the Buttermilk Bend Cool (12 mi/19 km: 16 min). Grab your mountain bike and ride the Olmstead Loop through oak-studded foothills and wildflower-dotted meadows. The fun, unpaved trail is open to hikers and equestrians too. INFO: 530/885-4527 Trail, in South Yuba River State Park. INFO: 530/432-2546 2 Pan for gold at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, in Coloma. INFO: 530/622-3470 3 Follow the ghosts of pioneers on the Emigrant Trail at 8,650-foot Carson Pass, on Highway 88. INFO: 530/622-5061 www.visitcalifornia.com Welcome Center SM Family Outdoors Shopping Golf Wine & Dine State Park http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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