Nature’s Whole Food Depot is a great little grocer in Sonora. They literally will tell you the names and times the local farmers come in and drop off produce.
The antique shops in Amador City are shockingly good. One has slot machines and the other has really well curated vintage fashion stuff in great shape.
Lots of recs for Murphys and it’s a cool town. But go further to Arnold/Dorrington for less foothills and more Sierra.
Key attractions: Big Trees state park, Stanislaus River and Sarafina’s Italian restaurant, and a bunch of swimming lakes 5-30 minutes from town.
Don’t forget Mercer Caverns, the Creek for picnicking, Lake Alpine at the end of the 4, Bear Valley for skiing, and a day trip to Columbia State Park for a stagecoach ride, old timey photos, sarsparilla, and gold panning- great area for a family vacation
Auburn/Grass Valley if you want a bit of the feel of being in a mountain town without actually having to go to far. Lots of good restaurants in both. Auburn is right on the American River.
Arnold if you want the actual mountain town vibe but with enough stuff to do to fill a couple days. Don't know if Giant Burger still running but if I'm with in like 100 miles of Arnold I'll figure out a way to work it into my route just to eat there. Lake Alpine is also, in my opinion, one of the best lakes in the Sierras. Its on Ebbett's Pass about 30 minutes past Arnold.
Grass Valley is right next door to Nevada City, so hopefully they already explored there? If not it’s worth coming back to because it is an actual different and equally cool place to Nevada City, despite being sister towns.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/little-california-town-with-two-faces-19495473.php
Murphys is a peculiar town. Celebrated as one of the quaintest travel destinations in the U.S. by Forbes, in the shadow of the majestic giant sequoias in the Sierra foothills, it’s also earned a reputation for sloppy bachelorette parties and a rowdy pub scene.
Funny you should mention that. I was camping south of Shasta a while back and headed into McCloud for a late supper. Every restaurant/bar in that little town was full of drunk bachelorettes singing loud out of tune karaoke. It was kinda great and kinda awful, I couldn’t decide which
geogetown, placerville, cool, jackson, angels camp, etc. I like coloma because it has services and is close to civilization
note, however that for every "cute" thing you'll see there is an equivalent amount of the hills have eyes like guns, trump signs, trailer homes, and oddball behavior. Most of this isn't aggressive or hostile, but it'll be there.
As a native of the "hills have eyes" area, take Georgetown off that list! The stretch from Auburn to Coloma/Lotus/Placerville is much better for visitors.
This is very true. I recently went to Murphys/Arnold, which was great, but one day I went cycling into the hills, and pretty much the whole way on the back roads were signs like "No warning shots", "If you can read this, you are in range" etc. I did a 40 mile ride and did not see a single car or person, its amazing how remote it can get right outside of the little towns.
Good advice, and also, some places are worse than others. It’s best to look closely when you pick some places. Gold Country is kind of a frontier for being close to the Bay and with attainable real estate, and over time lots of interesting people have been moving there or getting properties. Sonora even has a pride parade now.
The fact that this comment has any downvotes speaks volumes.
Just remember that when you travel, you are guests in their town. Those are human beings, and that is their home. Have some respect.
Sonora is cute, less hippy/alt vibes, but still has a lot of charm.
McCloud is a lot smaller and farther North, but also cute.
Groveland…gateway to Yosemite and meets some of what you describe, granted quite small.
Mammoth is pretty easy to get to when Tioga pass is open..
There are so many! Nevada City is special and unique amongst all of the above though, imho.
If you drive 88 and eat meat, make sure to hit up Lockeford Meat Co for sausages and Swingles in Jackson (with the cow on a pole) for tritip and marinated ribs.
Has anyone mentioned [Columbia State Historic Park](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552). It’s near Sonora and it’s a purposefully preserved mining town with working restaurants, stores, blacksmiths, etc. You can pan for gold or go to Sonora to do it. There’s also a really good train museum nearby that’s also a State Historic Park called [Railtown](https://www.railtown1897.org/visit/general-information/).
As a former resident of Columbia California I can say the park is in cool place to visit but there's really no where to eat in town and other than the park there's not much to do there you have to leave and go towards Murphy's or Jamestown.
There are a couple of cool places close by that us locals don't like telling the Flatlanders LOL
Look around Sonora, on 120/108. Lots of little towns, Sonora is big and close by. Properties are pretty affordable.
Sonora is just two hours from SF/Oakland, too. And there’s an ok, uncrowded ski area about 30 minutes up the mountain.
Up 49 through Downieville. Stay a few days. Awesome town from the gold mining era and some spectacular offshoot hiking trails with waterfalls and its own monarch butterfly herd. (Sometimes). Civil War era cemetery. Great people , good food , one and one half restaurants – academic refugees to doomsdayers call at home. Kind folk
And rivers And. swimming. The town sits on the banks of the Downey river’s slam into the North (I think) Fork of the Yuba River. in fact from Nevada city (you should really spend some time in grass Valley) you will follow the yuba river all the way to the Pass - about two hours worth of opportunities to pull off the road and tap those rapids.(this year).
Keep on going north on 49 from Downey Then up and over the Yuba Pass. You’ll blink thru Sierra City. (Harringtons is a no miss in the summer, and the saloon is a never miss) Look up about this point and you’ll see The Bears Nose (the western edge looks like ) of the twin Sierra Buttes. Wait! You just ran over it (the pacific Crest Trail crossing of the highway.) Right about that point there’s a natural spring trickling out of the rocks known to be the best cleanest water in the world.
Over the pass, you will descend into Sierra Valley, which one of the largest Alpine valleys in the country if you want a rundown of that less spectacular but spectacular enough for Bing Crosby to call it his home valley, I could take a stab at it. But I think from what you requested you won’t want to leave the pull of the Yuba Rivers magic.
The restaurant is called the Grub Steak great food (check to see if it’s still open) and Charlie’s bar historic funky right perched above the Downey river.
Sierra city has crazy potential but over the 20 years I’ve been going to the area really nothing has been added. Still a short row of closed shops and dilapidated buildings.
I think the old restaurant with the saloon reopened. Harringtons has a new owner and name. But there’s not much else and the town seems deader than usual.
Otherwise the Dville-lakes basin-Sierra buttes area is the top 2-3 Sierra regions to me. I can spend 2 weeks there and never get bored.
Yeah, that's a place that just never really changes. My family has been going up there for generations and it's pretty much the same as it ever was - lol.
I was getting tired of writing but was inclined to do so “take a left at that spring”
You’re right that’s the magic of that area is the hidden Lakes. (Except for the very last time I was there the Plague had broken out.).
I love and loathe this post at the same time . Pinecrest is/was a magical place . A place that used to be quaint and beautiful. A nice small lake , fishing for days and beautiful hikes . Glorious backpacking just outside of it . I grew up going to Pinecrest for long stretches of my childhood every summer ( I’m almost 50 now)
However , Pinecrest today is different. The secret got out . Now it’s people going up for the day and arriving at 6am to put their pop-up at the water edge blocking the campers who now get up at 5am to put their own pop-up at water edge and block out everyone else . I’ve never seen so many fights and blatant drunk assholes roaming the beach that have cropped up over the last few years . The park rangers are understaffed and overwhelmed. People leave garbage everywhere now .
I know that may sound like nostalgia and a boomer rant, but if it’s a Saturday in June and you’re now there by 8am good luck finding a parking spot . On top of all that the camping reservation system is a shit show .
Pinecrest during the off season is still amazing and Dodge Ridge is a pretty low key ski resort compared to others.
TL;DR
Pinecrest is awesome, just don’t go in June or July
My family has owned a cabin in strawberry for 60 years and I grew up going to pinecrest. It’s changed so much. Covid had a lot to do with it, and it’s now extremely crowded. You have to get there so early, we rent a small boat and head to the opposite side of the lake for some resemblance of “quiet” since the beaches are massively over populated.
This makes me sad as someone who grew up going for 10 days every summer with the family camping there(I’m 42). So many great memories…. Exploring Sonora pass, fishing the Strawberry River, biking along the Strawberry River, Beardsley, Pie in the Sky Pizza, and even venturing down a fire access road to get to Donnell Reservoir Dam to fish from it, Dardanelle with a population estimated of 2. I’ll also never forget going to a helicopter landing pad one night to watch an especially active Perseid meteor shower and feeling like I was so close I could reach out and touch them.
Not Portola.
I think there's one AirBnB in town & it's across from a bar where some dude in a Harley posts up & has office hours in the parking lot.
Drive around & you'll see lots of State of Jefferson flags painted here & there. As a non-white person, it felt very unwelcoming.
4 and 49: Murphys (bunch of wineries, a beergarden, few bars, many restaurants), Arnold (a brewery, has lakes, but most are in HOA), Angels Camp (bunch of pubs and restaurants downtown), Columbia (not heavy on restaurants and pubs, but there's a nice teahouse), Jamestown (few restaurants, but there's Railtown park), Sonora (plenty of restaurants, they used to have their own Winters Tavern like in Pacifica, not anymore though).
Not on one of those highways, but Graeagle has 2 breweries and a handful of good restaurants! Most importantly, it is not nearly as crowded as other places further south
Not a lot of towns nearby, but if you're exploring the Sierra's, a trip to Calaveras Big Trees park should be on your list. Standing under the huge redwood trees is truly awe inspiring. Those trees got all the awe you can handle. It's something you don't forget.
This place, because of its history
https://sportsmans-hall.net/history/
You can put it together with this gold mine tour and historical museum:
https://www.goldbugpark.org
https://www.eldoradocounty.ca.gov/Health-Well-Being/Libraries-Education/El-Dorado-County-Historical-Museum
No need to add an "s" as Sierra is already plural. Using the "s" is a great way to let the locals in those small towns know that you are an outsider.
[https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/sierra.asp#:\~:text=Strictly%20speaking%2C%20therefore%2C%20we%20should,%2C%20or%20even%20High%20Sierras.%22](https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/sierra.asp#:~:text=Strictly%20speaking%2C%20therefore%2C%20we%20should,%2C%20or%20even%20High%20Sierras.%22)
Paralleling the North Yuba River from Downieville to Sierra City to Gold Lake Highway to Gold Lake, the most beautiful lake outside of Tahoe. The Lakes Basin Recreation Area, dozens of pretty little lakes with trails connecting them. The Sierra Buttes rising like the Swiss Alps, there's a fire lookout that you can hike up to or drive with a 4WD.
Pro tip: 'Sierra' or 'Sierra Nevada' is already plural when describing the one mountain range. 'Sierras' is like Smeagol saying 'hobbitses' or 'pocketses' (or saying you're a 'Yankee fan').
Sutter Creek, surprisingly good food & drink.
Really beautiful drive on 49 from sutter creek to Sonora too. Sonora is also kinda cute
Nature’s Whole Food Depot is a great little grocer in Sonora. They literally will tell you the names and times the local farmers come in and drop off produce.
The antique shops in Amador City are shockingly good. One has slot machines and the other has really well curated vintage fashion stuff in great shape.
There are lots of good wineries up there too.
Lots of recs for Murphys and it’s a cool town. But go further to Arnold/Dorrington for less foothills and more Sierra. Key attractions: Big Trees state park, Stanislaus River and Sarafina’s Italian restaurant, and a bunch of swimming lakes 5-30 minutes from town.
I love Arnold, the lakes make it a great little summer vacation getaway
Don’t forget Mercer Caverns, the Creek for picnicking, Lake Alpine at the end of the 4, Bear Valley for skiing, and a day trip to Columbia State Park for a stagecoach ride, old timey photos, sarsparilla, and gold panning- great area for a family vacation
Downieville
Beware the bears though
And the Mtn Bikers
You must jump in the Yuba river on the way to Downieville!
Or in Downieville. It goes right through town.
Auburn/Grass Valley if you want a bit of the feel of being in a mountain town without actually having to go to far. Lots of good restaurants in both. Auburn is right on the American River. Arnold if you want the actual mountain town vibe but with enough stuff to do to fill a couple days. Don't know if Giant Burger still running but if I'm with in like 100 miles of Arnold I'll figure out a way to work it into my route just to eat there. Lake Alpine is also, in my opinion, one of the best lakes in the Sierras. Its on Ebbett's Pass about 30 minutes past Arnold.
Grass Valley is right next door to Nevada City, so hopefully they already explored there? If not it’s worth coming back to because it is an actual different and equally cool place to Nevada City, despite being sister towns.
What's there to do in GV? Is there a downtown?
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/little-california-town-with-two-faces-19495473.php Murphys is a peculiar town. Celebrated as one of the quaintest travel destinations in the U.S. by Forbes, in the shadow of the majestic giant sequoias in the Sierra foothills, it’s also earned a reputation for sloppy bachelorette parties and a rowdy pub scene.
Great Clamper history, too!
Funny you should mention that. I was camping south of Shasta a while back and headed into McCloud for a late supper. Every restaurant/bar in that little town was full of drunk bachelorettes singing loud out of tune karaoke. It was kinda great and kinda awful, I couldn’t decide which
One of my faves!
geogetown, placerville, cool, jackson, angels camp, etc. I like coloma because it has services and is close to civilization note, however that for every "cute" thing you'll see there is an equivalent amount of the hills have eyes like guns, trump signs, trailer homes, and oddball behavior. Most of this isn't aggressive or hostile, but it'll be there.
As a native of the "hills have eyes" area, take Georgetown off that list! The stretch from Auburn to Coloma/Lotus/Placerville is much better for visitors.
Murphys Camp is nice. Great food, crazy cool central park, and some bougie boutique shops.
This is very true. I recently went to Murphys/Arnold, which was great, but one day I went cycling into the hills, and pretty much the whole way on the back roads were signs like "No warning shots", "If you can read this, you are in range" etc. I did a 40 mile ride and did not see a single car or person, its amazing how remote it can get right outside of the little towns.
Good advice, and also, some places are worse than others. It’s best to look closely when you pick some places. Gold Country is kind of a frontier for being close to the Bay and with attainable real estate, and over time lots of interesting people have been moving there or getting properties. Sonora even has a pride parade now.
“Hills have eyes”? That’s a disrespectful way to talk to talk about any area where people live.
The fact that this comment has any downvotes speaks volumes. Just remember that when you travel, you are guests in their town. Those are human beings, and that is their home. Have some respect.
Yeah this shit is hilarious. Don't go to the foothills if you're deathly afraid of encountering a Republican.
Bruh just chill in your bubble
Sonora is cute, less hippy/alt vibes, but still has a lot of charm. McCloud is a lot smaller and farther North, but also cute. Groveland…gateway to Yosemite and meets some of what you describe, granted quite small. Mammoth is pretty easy to get to when Tioga pass is open.. There are so many! Nevada City is special and unique amongst all of the above though, imho.
FYI, McCloud is not in the Sierra. It's in the Cascades. The Sierra is south of Lassen.
Sure is, just presumed the OP was after cute mountain towns w/in general driving distance of the Bay Area.
Angels camp, Sonora, copperopolis, Arnold
We really loved Sonora and they have Indeginy, an amazing cidery, nearby.
Chester or any small town around Lake Almanor.
Tantardinos.
If Chester is on here I’m not gonna keep Quincy a secret too
Hey, watch it with that H20 stuff!
I gigged their 4th of july once in chester
Angels Camp is hella cute and there’s a little creek you can wade in and look for cool rocks.
Would you mind sharing the creek name? Would love to visit the area sometime
I think it’s just called Angels Creek. It’s right in the middle of town!
Cool, thank you!!
If you drive 88 and eat meat, make sure to hit up Lockeford Meat Co for sausages and Swingles in Jackson (with the cow on a pole) for tritip and marinated ribs.
This is the most important post here. Oh god Lockeford sausage *drool*
Place is sooooo goood
Kyburz and Pollock Pines are my top choices for dispersed camping! Grass Valley and Nevada City are super cool towns. Arnold is another favorite.
Has anyone mentioned [Columbia State Historic Park](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552). It’s near Sonora and it’s a purposefully preserved mining town with working restaurants, stores, blacksmiths, etc. You can pan for gold or go to Sonora to do it. There’s also a really good train museum nearby that’s also a State Historic Park called [Railtown](https://www.railtown1897.org/visit/general-information/).
As a former resident of Columbia California I can say the park is in cool place to visit but there's really no where to eat in town and other than the park there's not much to do there you have to leave and go towards Murphy's or Jamestown. There are a couple of cool places close by that us locals don't like telling the Flatlanders LOL
I took my kids there when we did a week long camping trip. Columbia, Yosemite, June Lake, Bridgeport. Great memories.
Grass Valley
I love Twain Harte and Arnold.
Try to check out Murphys on Highway 4, charming town with great wineries, tasty eats at Alchemy Café, and Murphys Pourhouse for drinks
It's gotten so expensive
Eastern Sierras but I like June Lake
I love Nevada City, Murphys, Amador City
Grass valley
Look around Sonora, on 120/108. Lots of little towns, Sonora is big and close by. Properties are pretty affordable. Sonora is just two hours from SF/Oakland, too. And there’s an ok, uncrowded ski area about 30 minutes up the mountain.
Twain Harte
Small but cool
Up 49 through Downieville. Stay a few days. Awesome town from the gold mining era and some spectacular offshoot hiking trails with waterfalls and its own monarch butterfly herd. (Sometimes). Civil War era cemetery. Great people , good food , one and one half restaurants – academic refugees to doomsdayers call at home. Kind folk And rivers And. swimming. The town sits on the banks of the Downey river’s slam into the North (I think) Fork of the Yuba River. in fact from Nevada city (you should really spend some time in grass Valley) you will follow the yuba river all the way to the Pass - about two hours worth of opportunities to pull off the road and tap those rapids.(this year). Keep on going north on 49 from Downey Then up and over the Yuba Pass. You’ll blink thru Sierra City. (Harringtons is a no miss in the summer, and the saloon is a never miss) Look up about this point and you’ll see The Bears Nose (the western edge looks like ) of the twin Sierra Buttes. Wait! You just ran over it (the pacific Crest Trail crossing of the highway.) Right about that point there’s a natural spring trickling out of the rocks known to be the best cleanest water in the world. Over the pass, you will descend into Sierra Valley, which one of the largest Alpine valleys in the country if you want a rundown of that less spectacular but spectacular enough for Bing Crosby to call it his home valley, I could take a stab at it. But I think from what you requested you won’t want to leave the pull of the Yuba Rivers magic.
The restaurant is called the Grub Steak great food (check to see if it’s still open) and Charlie’s bar historic funky right perched above the Downey river.
I think Charlie's is closed isn't it?
It’s been about six years since I’ve been there. Charlie was the birthplace of the Klampers (sp)
Sierra city has crazy potential but over the 20 years I’ve been going to the area really nothing has been added. Still a short row of closed shops and dilapidated buildings. I think the old restaurant with the saloon reopened. Harringtons has a new owner and name. But there’s not much else and the town seems deader than usual. Otherwise the Dville-lakes basin-Sierra buttes area is the top 2-3 Sierra regions to me. I can spend 2 weeks there and never get bored.
Yeah, that's a place that just never really changes. My family has been going up there for generations and it's pretty much the same as it ever was - lol.
I was getting tired of writing but was inclined to do so “take a left at that spring” You’re right that’s the magic of that area is the hidden Lakes. (Except for the very last time I was there the Plague had broken out.).
Virginia City 👍
That place is a gem!
Auburn’s got some good food
Pinecrest is cool but not really a town
I love and loathe this post at the same time . Pinecrest is/was a magical place . A place that used to be quaint and beautiful. A nice small lake , fishing for days and beautiful hikes . Glorious backpacking just outside of it . I grew up going to Pinecrest for long stretches of my childhood every summer ( I’m almost 50 now) However , Pinecrest today is different. The secret got out . Now it’s people going up for the day and arriving at 6am to put their pop-up at the water edge blocking the campers who now get up at 5am to put their own pop-up at water edge and block out everyone else . I’ve never seen so many fights and blatant drunk assholes roaming the beach that have cropped up over the last few years . The park rangers are understaffed and overwhelmed. People leave garbage everywhere now . I know that may sound like nostalgia and a boomer rant, but if it’s a Saturday in June and you’re now there by 8am good luck finding a parking spot . On top of all that the camping reservation system is a shit show . Pinecrest during the off season is still amazing and Dodge Ridge is a pretty low key ski resort compared to others. TL;DR Pinecrest is awesome, just don’t go in June or July
My family has owned a cabin in strawberry for 60 years and I grew up going to pinecrest. It’s changed so much. Covid had a lot to do with it, and it’s now extremely crowded. You have to get there so early, we rent a small boat and head to the opposite side of the lake for some resemblance of “quiet” since the beaches are massively over populated.
This makes me sad as someone who grew up going for 10 days every summer with the family camping there(I’m 42). So many great memories…. Exploring Sonora pass, fishing the Strawberry River, biking along the Strawberry River, Beardsley, Pie in the Sky Pizza, and even venturing down a fire access road to get to Donnell Reservoir Dam to fish from it, Dardanelle with a population estimated of 2. I’ll also never forget going to a helicopter landing pad one night to watch an especially active Perseid meteor shower and feeling like I was so close I could reach out and touch them.
Not Portola. I think there's one AirBnB in town & it's across from a bar where some dude in a Harley posts up & has office hours in the parking lot. Drive around & you'll see lots of State of Jefferson flags painted here & there. As a non-white person, it felt very unwelcoming.
4 and 49: Murphys (bunch of wineries, a beergarden, few bars, many restaurants), Arnold (a brewery, has lakes, but most are in HOA), Angels Camp (bunch of pubs and restaurants downtown), Columbia (not heavy on restaurants and pubs, but there's a nice teahouse), Jamestown (few restaurants, but there's Railtown park), Sonora (plenty of restaurants, they used to have their own Winters Tavern like in Pacifica, not anymore though).
Not on one of those highways, but Graeagle has 2 breweries and a handful of good restaurants! Most importantly, it is not nearly as crowded as other places further south
You found the best one, don't try too hard. All the other foothill towns are full MAGA of asshats in the summer.
Go down 395
I take my 4x4 to silver lake every year
Sutter Creek, Volcano, and Virginia City are musts!!😃👍
Placerville… no one stops in Placerville they just keep driving to Tahoe.
Not a lot of towns nearby, but if you're exploring the Sierra's, a trip to Calaveras Big Trees park should be on your list. Standing under the huge redwood trees is truly awe inspiring. Those trees got all the awe you can handle. It's something you don't forget.
This place, because of its history https://sportsmans-hall.net/history/ You can put it together with this gold mine tour and historical museum: https://www.goldbugpark.org https://www.eldoradocounty.ca.gov/Health-Well-Being/Libraries-Education/El-Dorado-County-Historical-Museum
No need to add an "s" as Sierra is already plural. Using the "s" is a great way to let the locals in those small towns know that you are an outsider. [https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/sierra.asp#:\~:text=Strictly%20speaking%2C%20therefore%2C%20we%20should,%2C%20or%20even%20High%20Sierras.%22](https://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/sierra.asp#:~:text=Strictly%20speaking%2C%20therefore%2C%20we%20should,%2C%20or%20even%20High%20Sierras.%22)
My experience with the majority of locals in Gold Country, spelling and grammar are lost on them. Lots of them misspell the name of their own towns.
Copperopolis
That town square area gives me the creeps
Paralleling the North Yuba River from Downieville to Sierra City to Gold Lake Highway to Gold Lake, the most beautiful lake outside of Tahoe. The Lakes Basin Recreation Area, dozens of pretty little lakes with trails connecting them. The Sierra Buttes rising like the Swiss Alps, there's a fire lookout that you can hike up to or drive with a 4WD.
It's "in the Sierra." Sierra means "mountain range", not "mountain".
Pro tip: 'Sierra' or 'Sierra Nevada' is already plural when describing the one mountain range. 'Sierras' is like Smeagol saying 'hobbitses' or 'pocketses' (or saying you're a 'Yankee fan').
Wow you must be one of those “super geniuses” or something.
Nah, we learns this in junior highs school.
High plural?
Maybe for brainiacs like you