Discover Calaveras County: Trails, Caves, and Lakes

Calaveras County combines impressive natural experiences with caves, Gold Rush history, and unusual regional traditions. When planning your trip, you can choose between level paths through giant sequoias, longer hikes, excursions on the water, and cultural discoveries. This makes it possible to tailor your search for a vacation rental or holiday home to the focus you want for your days away.

Among Giant Sequoias, Water, and Sierra Trails

A good starting point for getting your bearings in the landscape is the Arnold Rim Trail. Its northern trailhead is at the Sierra Nevada Logging Museum in the community of White Pines. The first section from the museum is one mile long, paved, and gently sloped; it is wheelchair accessible. The Arnold Rim Trail itself is a non-motorized trail at a moderate elevation in the central Sierra Nevada. Its panoramic views extend from Mt. Diablo to Mt. Lyell. The completed section also includes a waterfall, wildlife, and a lake.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park also offers a range of trail experiences. The North Grove Trail is an easy, level, 1.5-mile loop. Those looking for a longer hike through a dense stand of giant sequoias will find a five-mile route in South Grove. These two trails provide a clear basis for planning your day: a shorter loop or a more extensive hike through the sequoia grove.

Caves, Gold Rush History, and Regional Heritage

Calaveras County presents its history not only in museums. Moaning Caverns offers underground cave tours. On the Spiral Tour, a ten-story spiral staircase descends between prehistoric formations. California Caverns is among the earliest officially documented caves in California’s Mother Lode region and was documented in 1850. Organized tourist activities there are documented as early as 1854; the cave also has an extensive system of passages. Mercer Caverns offers guided tours year-round and contains stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone formations.

At the Calaveras County Museum Complex, you can learn about the county’s prehistory, the culture of Indigenous tribes, the stories of the early pioneers, and the history of the Gold Rush. The complex consists of the 1867 Old Courthouse and Jail, the 1893 Hall of Records, and the 1856 Odd Fellows Hall. The Angels Camp Museum complements this historical focus with exhibits on the Gold Rush, mining, ranching, minerals, and historic coaches and wagons. Visitors can also try panning for gold there. The museum houses one of the largest collections of historic horse-drawn vehicles in the United States.

Lakes, Special Events, and Regional Flavors

The lakes in the lower Sierra Foothills offer opportunities for kayaking, fishing, boating, hiking, camping, and cycling. Swimming is possible there, except in Pardee Lake. New Melones Lake is located in the Glory Hole Recreation Area of Angels Camp; houseboats and party boats are available for rent there. If you want to choose your vacation rental based on planned water or nature experiences, it is therefore worth first deciding clearly between hiking, cave, and lake days.

A special tradition is the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp. The four-day festival takes place every year from Thursday to Sunday on the third weekend in May; the frog-jumping competition is held during the event. For additional regional impressions, wineries have tasting rooms spread throughout the county. In this way, nature, history, local events, and wine tastings come together to create a range of travel profiles.

Places to Continue Your Accommodation Search

The Calaveras Visitors Bureau operates a visitor center at the Angels Camp Museum. To find suitable accommodation, you can use the type of experience you want as a guide and then compare the different places in the county: Murphys, Arnold, Angels Camp, San Andreas, Valley Springs, Mokelumne Hill, Vallecito, Mountain Ranch and Douglas Flat. The key consideration is whether you want to focus your stay primarily on trails, water, caves, museums, or events.

For the higher-level travel overview: California.