Explore The Mother Lode

Tuolumne and Calaveras offer amazing outdoor recreation and some pretty fantastic events to experience as well.

Off road adventures in this area include hiking, taking vehicles off road, gold panning, camping and fishing. All are detailed in our recreation guide here. Rock hounding involves seeking gold and other mineral and there is a great overview about all the local rocks here. An update on the popular Deer Valley Trail in El Dorado National Forest was added to our Off Highway Vehicle page here. The trail is towards Ebbett’s Pass at Hermit Valley off Highway 4 and was one of 42 trails that were closed due to a court order on April 4, 2012. Enthusiasts hope the El Dorado National Forest Supervisor will sign a record of decision in May for the trail to reopen in July. If conditions allow, the trail could be open while trail improvements and minor rerouting take place. Other local trails are seeking funds for evaluation and improvement as detailed in the news story here.

For specific destinations like Cherry Lake plus all the great local museums view our Destination Guide. Keep an eye on the news as we will always be the first to let you know when the local passes are open. As reported here Caltrans plans to get the closure gates at Eagle Meadows and Kennedy Meadows open as soon as possible — with the goal to open Sonora Pass to Kennedy Meadows Road in time for the beginning of trout season, Saturday, April 30.

Some major annual events are coming up, Relay for Life in Tuolumne and Calaveras begins Saturday morning on April 30th. Then in May is the Mother Lode Round-Up (events go on through our April and the parade is May 7th) and the Jumping Frog Jubilee  is May 19, 20, 21 and 22 at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. Sonora Certified Farmers’ Market will open every Saturday, from May 14 through October 15, 2016. An overview of annual events including other farmer markets is here.