As a professional traveler, influencer, and California local, my mission is to traverse this breathtaking landscape and surprise myself with gorgeous vistas and fascinating stopovers. On this springtime trip, I set out to discover Gold Country’s wildflowers, limestone caverns, and swimming holes, and learned some fascinating California history throughout my 115-mile journey. Here’s a look at my three-day, 115-mile road trip itinerary through California’s Gold Country.
Courtesy of Aysa Olson
Day 1: Flowers and Phantasms
Wildflowers or Bust: I timed my trip carefully so I could see the lupines blooming at Folsom Lake, a reservoir just northeast of Sacramento. The blue-purple wildflowers blossom for only a few weeks in April and May, and I didn’t want to miss them. As soon as I saw lupine photos showing up online, I drove to the lake’s western shoreline at Beeks Bight. The flowers were like a beautiful blue carpet, even prettier than I imagined.
Say Goodnight in a Ghost Town: Next, I traveled south through green foothills to join the Golden Chain Highway (Highway 49), a winding road that connects the Sierra’s historic Gold Rush towns. When I arrived in Jackson, I checked into the National Hotel, an elegant Victorian with a second-floor balcony overlooking Main Street.
I loved the hotel’s rich history and stylish decor, and it was easy to walk around town from there. I peeked into the windows of Jackson’s antique shops and galleries, and I ate a wonderful dinner at Teresa’s Place, a cozy Italian restaurant that first opened as a boarding house for miners in 1921.
Day 2: A California Cave Crawl
Breakfast Beignets at Rosebud’s Cafe: The next morning, I walked to Rosebud’s Cafe for delicious beignets and coffee before driving 12 miles east to Volcano. The tiny town’s main street is less than two blocks long, so it was hard to imagine that during Gold Rush days, it had more than 5,000 residents and dozens of hotels and saloons. Now only about 100 people live there, but every building is filled with history. I stopped into the Sizemore Country Store for snacks—the grocery shop has been serving customers since 1852.
First Cave Tour at Black Chasm Cavern: My first adventure of the day was a guided tour of Black Chasm Cavern, just outside Volcano. My mother is a geography and geology teacher, and I’ve always been fascinated by the wonders of the underground world. Black Chasm is a deep, vertical cavern, and I was really excited to see and photograph it. I followed our guide down a staircase that descends 165 feet below the earth’s surface. It has five flights of stairs with three large landing areas, and each step gave me a different view. I saw amazing stalactites, stalagmites, and Black Chasm’s signature formation—twisting, tube-like crystal helictites that sparkle in the light.
Second Cave of the Day at California Cavern: Back in the car, I drove about 30 winding miles south for a very different cave tour at California Cavern. Since this was my first visit, I took the one-hour guided walk by Gold Country Adventures through its main chambers. The cavern is horizontal, not vertical, and the path inside is nearly level with only a few stairs. The shimmering cave formations are lit up by electric lights and easy to see. The tour was awesome, and I can’t wait to come back for the “Middle Earth Expedition,” a much longer and more demanding tour that goes deeper into the cave where explorers must crawl through narrow passageways using a headlamp to guide the way.
Courtesy of Aysa Olson
Day 3: Inner Tube Creek Float
Hiking and Creek Tubing: For the final leg of my trip, I continued south to the small town of Vallecito for a hike-and-swim adventure near New Melones Lake. Starting at Parrotts Ferry Road, I hiked the Natural Bridges Trail for nearly a mile to the spot where Coyote Creek flows out of a wide, dark cavern.
Insider Tip: Pack a pair of water shoes for easy hiking through the Natural Bridges Trail. Check parking details ahead of time and come prepared with payment.
Over millions of years, the creek has carved a 250-foot-long passageway through a block of limestone. When the creek level is high, you can’t enter the cavern, but when the level drops, you can swim in through one entrance and swim out the other side.
Thankfully, I brought an inner tube to float on because the creek water was chilly. Even so, I wanted to float in it forever. Drifting through that cavern was an experience I’ll never forget.
