Noël Russell

California Gold Country holds an incredible amount of history, beautiful outdoor activities, alpine lakes, hiking, food, wine, & more. In my opinion, this section of Highway 49 is the best road trip in the West. The entire 49 is amazing, but in case you're short on time, this guide focuses on my favorite section of it. 

This guide holds everything you need for a 3-5 day trip in this region. It includes information on hikes, swimming spots, small towns, wine, food, history, accommodation, camping, and more. That amount of time will leave you space to have at least one full outdoors day, one full wine & food day, and some other activities in between. 

It's a great trip for someone like me who likes getting dirty & spending time outside and in the backcountry, but also likes really good food and some of the best wine California has to offer. There's something for everyone on this trip. You can walk on a dirt trail for an hour and a half, see wildflowers, swim, go wine tasting, learn about history, and more. 

This trip can be done any time of year. If you visit in the winter, you may want to sub out some skiing for swimming & some of the hikes might be inaccessible without snowshoes or XC skis. If you go in the middle of summer, it will be hot at lower elevations, but still amazing. Spring will give you some incredible wildflowers. 

‌This area is less frequented & should be appreciated. It's a great trip if you're looking to escape the crowds. This trip can easily be done as an add-on to Lake Tahoe or Sacramento. 

Use this guide as a set itinerary, or draw from it to create your own trip!

A Guide to Gold Country

The Shasta-Trinity region of California is one of my favorites & really deserves to be visted more. ‌This area is great for all types of adventurers. There's a lot to do if you're really into outdoor recreation, but there's also a lot you can see by parking at viewpoints, walking short trails, or simply driving around, so it's great for all levels of activity.

This is a really great area to visit during any season, but its worth keeping in mind that summer can be hot at lower elevations. That said, there's also some great swimming spots for cooling off. In the winter, the lower elevation areas can be in the 50s, and Shasta will have more snow on it, which looks really beautiful. In the Spring you get wildflowers, and in the Fall you get Fall colors.

This guide includes everything you need for a 4-7 day trip to this region. If you don't have that much time, you can choose what you'd like to do & come back again to do the rest! It includes details for camping, hotel accommodation, view points, hikes, food & drink, and all the reasons I love this area.

