Hard-rock mining in California: A Highway 49 driving tour to Jackson

(36 reviews)

Amador County, California audio tour: Hard-rock mining in California: A Highway 49 driving tour to Jackson

This is a 52.4mi driving tour

It takes an average of 150 mins to complete.

Amador County, California

The United States

$14.99

Access all 107 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

Buy for a Group

Reviews

About the Tour

Travel through parts of California’s historic Mother Lode, one of the state’s best-known mining districts, and the picturesque Shenandoah Valley on this driving tour along Highway 49. Your journey starts in Placerville and follows lush vineyard-covered backroads to Jackson. You’ll learn about the hard-rock mining era of the California Gold Rush which began in the 1850s, shortly after the area’s placer mines began to run dry. You’ll drive through the California Gold Rush towns of Fiddletown, Amador City, Sutter Creek, and Jackson and see what remains of Treasure Mine, Kennedy Mine and Bunker Hill.

On this tour, you’ll also visit the Shenandoah Valley and learn how wine making, which also started in the 1850s, created liquid gold for some of the early pioneers. We’ll point out two wine tasting opportunities along this stretch of highway. Please drink responsibly.

Along the way, you can look forward to:

Learning about different types of mining such as placer, hard-rock, and hydraulic
Hearing stories about actual mining life, plucked from the pages of a gold miner’s diary
Finding out about the challenges of traveling to California by land or sea in 1848
Visiting a water-powered foundry and machine shop
Taking in the beauty of the peaceful, untouched backroads of California
Wandering through the old western-style gold rush towns and perusing their antique stores with the help of our brochures

This tour is the second in a series of four driving tours that explores the California Gold Country and covers the area from Auburn to Jamestown. You can enjoy this tour on its own or as part of the series. All stops are optional. Fees to visit parks, trailheads, wineries, or museums are not included in the price of this tour. For detailed information about the stops on this driving tour, please see “Places to stop along the way” in the tour description.

This 53-mile driving tour may be completed in about 2 1/2 hours without any stops. On the other hand, this is your adventure. You may stop where you want when you want and for as long as you want. It’s up to you. Happy Adventures!

+++

The story of gold miner John Doble is recounted during three of my tours spanning the drive from Auburn to Angels Camp. This story is excerpted with quotes from the book John Doble’s Journal and Letters from the Mines.

Voice acting credit:
Voice of John Doble, Sam Brannan, and advertisement for Pony Express, by Brandon Baumann

Please review the “Precautions” section for important information on driving and hiking.

Souvenir Brochure of tour: Please visit this site here for a souvenir brochure of this tour. On this brochure look for the QR code this will direct you to a hiking map of the area.

Music:

Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Front Porch Sitter by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Travel Light by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Redwood Highway by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Tour Producer

Lynn Momboisse

25 tours

Hi! My name is Lynn. I am a native of California and have resided in Northern California for most of my life. I have a love for discovering the hidden treasures in my own back yard. For many years I lived in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea where I co-authored the book Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. During my time in Carmel-by-the Sea, I served on the Carmel Heritage Society, and Historic Resources Board. My love of history and passion for discovering the beauty of the Golden State has led me to create a fun little blog titled "Adventures of a Home Town Tourist" where I recount many of my walking tours and hiking adventures throughout the world. I currently live in the majestic Sierra Foothills and have written several walking and driving tours of the Lake Tahoe area as well as the California Gold Country. I am so excited to continue to share my travel adventures through the power of VoiceMap. I can't wait for you to join me. Happy Adventures!

Preview Location

Location 22

Panning for Gold 1852: A Miners Experience

John Doble was a hearty soul with golden dreams. When he arrived at Latimers Gulch January 9, 1852 an acquaintance informed him about a rich strike. Would this be where John would make his fortune in gold? Let's find out as John's story continues.

“The next day I bought... John Doble was a hearty soul with golden dreams. When he arrived at Latimers Gulch January 9, 1852 an acquaintance informed him about a rich strike. Would this be where John would make his fortune in gold? Let's find out as John's story continues.

“The next day I bought tools necessary for work. An iron shovel $2.00, small pick with handle $2.50 and tin pan for washing gold $1.50. Now ready I set out sinking a hole on a small flat below Latimers. I worked all day but could get nothing but small specks which I did not save. I worked very slow as I knew nothing about it and the ground was hard to dig being full of stones. By night I got a hole about 3 feet square and 4 feet deep and was very tired.”

“The next day the 11th, Major and I went out and sunk the hole to the ledge but found nothing more. The bedrock is found almost everywhere among the hills at a few feet below the surface and that is where most of the gulch gold is found. We quit the hole and went down to the river and washed several pans of dirt but got nothing more than small specks. The river here runs through a narrow canyon. On each side the rocks rise almost perpendicular by several hundred feet. We soon returned to the boarding house in Latimers tired of prospecting.”

"Latimer keeps a store and boarding house and being on the road, a tavern. This day, Sunday, it was crowded with customers as few work but do trade at the store. We ate dinner at the tavern and met Doc and Holbrook who were just returning from work. They reported good prospects over on the divide between the North Fork of the Calaveras and the Mokelumne River. On their report we will set out tomorrow to Angiers near their prospect.”

"The next day, carrying my carpet sack, blanket, pick shovel and pan I set off with Doc and company. After a hard walk over high hills and deep ravines we arrived at Buckeye Store and purchased lumber to built a Tom. We paid .16 cents a foot and hired a donkey to carry the lumber to Angiers. On the road we passed sight of the Mokelumne River about 1800 feet below us. From that height it was like a serpent winding along the mountains. Arrived at Angiers at dark."

Well no fortune yet for John, but stay tuned maybe the strike at Angiers will pan out.

Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

Once you've purchased a tour, it's added to your VoiceMap library. To access it in the app, just sign in using the same account.

Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Major Landmarks

Downtown Placerville
Diamond Springs
Plymouth
Villa Toscano Winery
Shenandoah Valley
Amador Flower Farm
La Mesa Vineyards
Fiddletown
Drytown
Bunker Hill Mine
Amador City
Sutter Creek
Knight Foundry
Miners' Bend Park
Kennedy Gold Mine Tours
Jackson

View all

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
3211 Center St, Placerville, CA 95667, USA
Total distance

84km
Final location
14-2 Broadway, Jackson, CA 95642, USA
Distance back to start location

42km

Directions to Starting Point

Starting point: Public Parking Lot next to El Dorado Savings Bank at the intersection of Main Street and Sacramento Street in Historic Old Town Placerville.

From the south

Take Highway US 50 E. At the traffic light turn right onto Highway CA 49 toward Jackson. Turn left to continue on Highway CA 49 through the center of Old Town Placerville. Continue straight through the next traffic signal and the street becomes Main Street. Pass Mel’s Diner. The next intersection is Main and Sacramento Streets. Turn left into the parking lot before the El Dorado Savings Bank.

From the north

Take Highway US 50 W. At the traffic signal turn left onto Bedford Street. At the stop sign, turn right onto Main Street in Old Town Placerville. Continue along Main Street, pass the bell tower. After the Cary Hotel the next intersection is Main and Sacramento Streets. Turn right into the parking lot after the El Dorado Savings Bank.

Show Directions

Gift vouchers

Buy tours for friends and family who delight in discovery

Buy Now

Buy for a group

Get 15% to 50% off when you buy for a group

Buy Now

License this tour

Adapt this tour to use your brand and suit your guests

Find out more

Tips

Places to stop along the way

Prices and times are subject to change. These are as of April 2022:

PLACERVILLE: See self-guided walking map in companion brochure

EL DORADO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM: (524 Main Street in the Fountain and Tallman Soda Works building) / Open Saturday and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

PLYMOUTH: See self-guided walking map I companion brochure

VILLA TOSCANO WINERY GARDENS AND BISRO: (10600 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth) / Bistro Open 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily / Tasting Room Open 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Last Tasting at 4:00 p.m. / Tasting Flight $15 per person

AMADOR FLOWER FARM: (22001 Shenandoah School Road, Plymouth) / Nursery and Gift Shop Open March 1st to November 30th 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily / Winter hours Thursday through Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LA MESA VINEYARDS: (13200 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth) / Open Thursday through Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

FIDDLETOWN: See self-guided walking map in companion brochure.

GOLD MINE TRAIL: Drive by 3 of the 14 hard-rock mines listed on the Amador County Gold Mine Trail. Fremont Gover Mine, Treasure Mine and Bunker Hill Mine. All located along Bunker Hill Road between New Chicago and Amador City.

AMADOR CITY: See self-guided walking map in companion brochure.

SUTTER CREEK: See self-guided walking map in companion brochure.

MINER’S BEND PARK: See pictures of park in companion brochure.

KENNEDY MINE: (12594 Kennedy Mine Road, Jackson) / Open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. between March and October. Parking is free. There is a cost if you would like to take a guided tour. Restrooms near the parking lot.

JACKSON: Please visit this site here for a souvenir brochure of this tour. On this brochure look for the QR code this will direct you to a hiking map of the area.

Best time of day

This area of California may be enjoyed at any time of the year. But if you have an option, visit in the spring, summer, or early fall. Spring and fall because of the cooler weather. Summer, though more crowded and much warmer than other times of the year, has the largest open hours for parks, wineries and museums. See PLACES TO STOP ALONG THE WAY for current museum and park hours.

Precautions

Speed limits on the highway during this driving tour average between 35 and 50 miles an hour. Take your time, be cautious and mindful as you drive these winding backroads. Pull over at turn-outs if you find cars piling up behind you. Obey the speed limit and any California Transportation workers instructions.

When we are touring through the old towns along this tour please keep your speed limit at or under 15 miles per hour.

If you park and leave your car for any reason, cover all your valuables, securely lock your car doors and take your keys with you. Cars are too often broken into, so it is best to take ALL valuables with you.

If you take any of the optional hikes along the way, stay on the paths and be careful as you walk, as the paths are uneven. Avoid touching poison oak which is prevalent near most paths.

When walking any of the small towns, pay close attention when you cross any streets. Make sure any cars coming in your direction see you and have stopped before crossing any streets. Watch for uneven ground and other tripping hazards when walking. Please be mindful of your surroundings.

CELL RECEPTION
This tour relies on GPS, not cell reception, so your tour will run well even on back roads, however you will not have reliable cell reception in some areas along this driving tour, so you will not be able to send or receive texts or receive calls along various stretches of this highway.

USING VOICEMAP
Search for VoiceMap AUDIO TOUR on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Download the free App. Sign Up for a new account with your email and a password of your choice, go to the EXPLORE option and search for “AMADOR COUNTY” and purchase the tour you are interested in.
Download the tour while you have good WiFi reception. Click on the gear icon on the lower right corner and put the tour into yd/mi mode and turn off Tour Player Autolock and Audio Lost Alert.

Then, select the “ACCOUNT” option, select the tour you are going to take and read the information in the “ABOUT” option in the upper right. If you need directions to the starting point select “DIRECTIONS”. It will open another window in Apple Maps. You will need to close that window or use your phones interface to go back to the VoiceMap app to start the tour.

Go to your starting point, press “START” and follow the instructions of the narrator. Place your phone in a hands free holder on your car dashboard as there is a map on your screen that will show our travel route.

We also suggest that you have your phone plugged into an external charging port so that your tour isn’t interrupted by a dead battery.

You may pause this tour at any time using the pause button and resume it at any of the locations along the tour. If you decide stop along the way and take a meal break, or take one of the optional hikes, you should exit your tour by pressing the “END TOUR” downward facing arrow on the top right, then just restart it from the closest location by restarting the tour using the “RESUME” button. You will be prompted with 3 stops. Chose the stop closest to your location.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
Using the Video setting on your phone will shut down the VoiceMap app (and every other open app) and you will need to reload your tour. So, if you are using your phone for photos, try to use the Photo setting.

Get The App

Download tours to use them offline

Listen hands-free with GPS playback

Get turn-by-turn directions

Scan the QR Code

“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”