Gold, Ghosts, Gems, and Giants of Calaveras County, CA (Part 2)

We love visiting Calaveras County, located in California’s Sierra Nevada region, and want to share our second post highlighting some of the best things to do there! In this follow-up article to Part 1, we’ll walk among the Giants in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, sip local wine, grab the perfect bite to eat, and shop in the picturesque town of Murphys. Plus, we’ll also try our hand at gold-panning on a side trip to the historic town of Columbia!

Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Driving out of Angels Camp, an easy two-line road takes us to the Land of Giants. Weaving gently through the towering redwoods basking in the morning sun — the short drive felt calming and restorative. It was our first time visiting Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and the vibe was undeniably zen-like.

After entering Calaveras Big Trees State Park (the admittance fee is $10.00 per car at the time of the writing), we started with the Visitor Center and Museum, checking the availability of guided tours, learning about the discovery and history of the Sequoia grove, and picking up a few souvenirs before hitting the trail.

Did you know that Giant Sequoias have been around as far back as the Mesozoic Era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth?! The trees survived through the Ice Age, and new generations of Sequoias sprouted up across continents.

Today only 73 groves of Giant Sequoias remain in the world, and all are in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. In Calaveras Big Tree State Park there are two groves of Giant Sequoias: North Grove (about 100 Giant Sequoias) and South Grove (over 1,000).

Sequoia trees can live to about 3,500 years, and the ones in Calaveras Big Trees State Park are about 2,000 years old. That means the trees we see today were here during the rise of the Roman Empire and will still be here 1,500 more years into the future!

The Discovery Tree

In 1852, a man named Augustus T. Dowd, discovered a gigantic tree (over 280 feet tall) while hunting in the forest. Unable to contain himself, he traveled to the nearest mining camp to tell tales of the humongous tree he had found. But nobody believed him. Frustrated, Augustus set out to prove the naysayers wrong. He gathered some pals for a twenty-mile hike to show them the tree. The group returned with the news, and soon adventurists swarmed to see the majestic Giant Sequoia grove.

Gold mining must not have been paying off, because a year later, the Discovery Tree was cut down (it took 22 days) to make some extra money. The bark was stripped off then reassembled into the shape of a tree and transported to San Francisco for a “traveling exhibition”, then to New York, where it burnt down.

The remaining “Big Stump” of the Discovery Tree (over 25 feet in diameter) was converted into a dance platform with a pavilion and everything. However, the dancers of the time complained that the dance floor did not have enough spring in it for their moves. We wish we were kidding, but unfortunately, we are not.

On the Trails

Stupefied, we stood in front of a giant sequoia tree after walking around its massive base a couple of times in utter disbelief. Bending our necks up to the sky, where the tree top was kissing the clouds, then crouching to the ground– aiming to capture the grandeur and awe in a photo, we gave up and took a video instead.

Looking for a serene place to recharge and connect with nature? Calaveras Big Trees State Park is a stunning, not overcrowded spot to visit for a getaway from the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’s such an easy drive! FYI — dogs on leashes are allowed in the park, but in designated areas only, not on trails.

Murphys — “The Pearl of Sierra Nevada”

While traveling in Calaveras County, it’s impossible not to visit the Town of Murphys with its multiple restaurants along the Main street, wine tasting rooms, and cute boutique shops. It’s also just minutes away from the County Fairgrounds where spooky Halloween All Hallows Faire is held, among other annual festivities, like Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee!

Here are a few of our favorite places in the town:

The Spice Tin

If you enjoy cooking with quality spices, this shop is a must-visit (located across from historical Murphys Hotel, behind Sierra Nevada Adventure Co. General Store). The Spice Tin is a slice of heaven for gourmands offering single spices, special homemade blends, smoked salts and sugars, sauces, and the list goes on. 😊

We walked away with packages of Chile Aleppo, Bourbon Smoked Paprika, Gold Dust BBQ Rub, and Murphys Rub (house favorite) and have been cooking with them ever since. We were so happy to discover that they have an online store! So, if you can’t make it to Murphys right now, order some online! Their site also has some mouth-watering recipes!

Wine Tasting Rooms

Of course, California is internationally-renowned for its wine, and most people heard of our fabled wine regions of Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, and San Ynez in Central CA. But, if you never tried the Sierra Foothills wines – you should! We believe there are over 20 wine tasting rooms and wineries in Murphys, but we were done after three 😊.

Domaine Becquet Winery Tasting Room

They had a great variety of wines and ports. Hands-down one of the best French-style Chardonnays we’ve ever had! Another unique wine was Prelude to a symphony, Symphony is a cultivated grape at UC Davis, — it hits you with sweet notes at first but doesn’t have a sweet aftertaste. (By some accounts, the tasting room has closed recently.)

Allegorie Vineyards and Winery Tasting Room

All the grapes are locally-sourced, some just a few hundred yards away on their 52-acre vineyard. Their Barbera and Tempranillo were our highlights. Check their site and order some wine!

Lavender Ridge Vineyard Tasting Room

To showcase their excellent selection of Rhone-variety wines, they serve wine & artisan cheese pairings. And have a small artisan market in the tasting room with chocolates, meats, gifts for wine aficionados, and, of course, various products with lavender.

TIP: We wish we had a chance to tour Ironstone Vineyards and the Heritage Museum (featuring the World Largest Gold Leaf specimen, weighing 44 pounds!). Check out their visiting days beforehand!

Perfect Dinner At Alchemy

With all the highly rated restaurants to choose from in Murphys, we decided to try Alchemy Cafe. This unpretentious fine-dining spot completely blew us away! Ever since our trip to Calaveras County, we haven’t stopped raving about it to all our friends.

At the time, we were craving a lighter affair, so instead of going with the mains, we ordered Caesar Salad, Elote Corn Bites, and Smoked Mac-n-Cheese appetizers to share (very generous portions, as you can see). The house dressing and the smoked Gouda cheese croutons served over crispy romaine lettuce hearts were amazing on our Caesar Salad. We’ve never tried Elote Corn bites before – and now we are glad we did! These corn fritters filled with an ooey-gooey blend of five kinds of cheese, served with cilantro lime crema to dip them in were YUMMMMMY!

And THE Smoked Mac n Cheese, a.k.a. “The best Mac-n-Cheese I’ve ever had” – Dan. Alchemy is for real, friends, because there is no other explanation of how this indulgent, guilty pleasure Mac n Cheese could have come into existence without some mystical alchemical manipulations of the ingredients in the kitchen. The ratio of luscious small pasta shells to the velvety cheese sauce with leeks and chives, topped by crispy crumbles of potato chips was beyond this world!

Short of licking the plate, we ate every single morsel in it. Next time we are even somewhat in the proximity of Calaveras County, we will return to Murphys just for a chance to dine at Alchemy again.

Note: Thank you to our awesome server Allura and a shout-out to Poodle! 😊

Side Trip — Columbia

On our drive home, we wanted to stop by the historic old western town of Columbia in neighboring Tuolumne County, CA. Just under half an hour out of Angels Camp, Columbia is the perfect side trip if you are visiting the area.

At the peak of the Gold Rush, the town of Columbia was founded in 1850 and quickly rose in size and popularity. With a growing population of 25,000 people, Columbia rated as the 5th largest city in California. Today its population is only about 2,000.

Since then, the City’s remaining structures have been restored, and Columbia was declared a State Historical Park.

No cars are allowed on the main street, but it is open to bicycles and pedestrian traffic. The dirt streets are lined with period-themed craft shops and eateries, ice cream and candy stores, a real Black Smith, a jail, and everything else you’d expect to find in a wild west town.

Our favorite attraction in Columbia is gold and gem panning. For a small fee (prices vary), you are given a pan, some pay dirt, instruction, and all the time you need to hone your panning skills. It’s a fun activity for kids of all ages, and you keep what you find, so it makes a great souvenir. You might even find some gold flakes!

However, if you’re after a (possible) larger payout, real gold panning day trips, and excursions are available in the area and can be booked online separately. Or if you have your shovel and pan, you can venture out to any of the Calaveras County’s rivers and streams. Just be sure to check where panning is allowed, as some areas are privately owned or have restrictions.

In Conclusion

The stories of riches and misses of the Gold Rush inspired so many movies and books, and with some snooping around, you might even find your own stories within your family tree. We’d love to hear them!
For more local adventures, check out our other discoveries around beautiful California, starting from Gold, Ghosts, Gems, and Giants of Calaveras County, CA (Part 1), San Juan Bautista, Paso Robles, and Solvang. Furthermore, take some time to find an adventure in your own backyard. It’s amazing what you can discover just a short drive from home.

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