22 May 2025
Three destinations in one – Yosemite, Gold Country, High Sierra
Explore uncrowded and stunning areas of Yosemite National Park, California's authentic Gold Country, and the spectacular scenery of the High Sierra. Tuolumne County is an easy getaway just 2.5 hours east of the San Francisco Bay Area and 2 hours south of Sacramento.
Tuolumne County is celebrating its 175th anniversary – A lot happened in 1850!
Historic Towns
- Sonora – The county seat, Queen of the Southern Mines. Explore the vibrant main street and sip hard cider at Indigeny Reserve. Get some snaps on the Sonora Selfie Trail.
- Columbia – Columbia State Historic Park, a living Gold Rush town, complete with restaurants, saloons, shops, even a professional theatre company. Columbia was the first place in the US to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
- Jamestown – Home to the new Chicken Ranch Casino Resort with 127 rooms (largest in the county). The Hollywood of Tuolumne County with a Walk of Fame celebrating 200+ iconic television shows and movies shot there in the past 100+ years. Take a ride at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.
- Twain Harte – Family friendly mountain town. Great dining. Oldest mini golf course in California with 18 holes. Don't miss the World Class Twain Harte Outhouse Races in June and Who Let the Dogs Out Dog Parade each May.
- Groveland – Gateway to Yosemite, upscale mountain resorts, and High Sierra adventure. The Iron Door Saloon is the oldest operating saloon in California.
- Tuolumne – The Black Oak Casino offers indoor fun for kids as well as adults. Cover's Apple Ranch is a delicious old time experience. Annual events include the Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee and the Me-Wuk Acorn Festival.
Two new lodging options are “In-Tents!”
- Under Canvas will open its first California location in July 2025, just 10 minutes from the west entrance of Yosemite National Park at Big Oak Flat. The 85-acre camp is set in a mountainside forest surrounded by mature, Yosemite-native trees, main lobby tent with café-style dining, upscale lounge areas, and other elevated offerings make a stay an upscale outdoor adventure. With a YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System) stop directly across from the camp's entrance (offering car-free access into the national park multiple times daily) and trailheads and a family-friendly, natural swimming hole near the camp, Under Canvas Yosemite offers outstanding access to one of California's most sought-after national parks.
- Evergreen Lodge, established in 1921 to facilitate the building of the O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley, has added glamping to their array of cabins, cottages and custom campsites. New luxury canvas tents offer vaulted ceilings, screened windows, pillow-top mattresses, overhead and bedside lighting, bedside fans, in-tent Wi-Fi, USB charging ports, feather pillows, comfy linens, indoor/outdoor seating, covered porch and private bear box. Glampers have access to the shared bath house and all resort amenities, including the full-service Evergreen Restaurant, historic Tavern, heated saltwater swimming pool and hot tub with sunset views and star gazing, and nightly fireside s'mores.
Yosemite National Park reservations are back – and we've got the work-arounds:
- A reservation will be required to drive into or through Yosemite National Park on some days from May 24 through September 1, 2025. Details here.
- Reservations are not required to visit the Hetch Hetchy section of the park
- Reservations are not needed if you enter the park on YARTS (public transit)
- Reservations are not needed if you come with an organized tour group
- Highway 120 leads to many beautiful – and less crowded – parts of the park
- All the Q&A at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
Culinary trials for the hungry and thirsty
Tuolumne County is the kind of place where you easily work up an appetite. Make it an adventure with the Craft Burger Trial, with nine stops ranging from historic to scenic to upscale to “Feed me!”
The Craft Beverage Trail leads to nine sources for local wines, craft beers, and signature cocktails.
Silly name, serious hospitality – Chicken Ranch Casino Resort
Now the largest hotel in Tuolumne County, Chicken Ranch Casino Resort is a colorful coop for Gold Country luxury, funky fun, and delicious delights. Dine with a rooftop view of the Sierra foothills and Yosemite peaks at the gourmet Perch. Play to win in the smoke-free casino with floor-to-ceiling windows. Meet in rooms named for the best breeds of chickens. With a name like Chicken Ranch, you've just got to say “What the cluck?”
“Little House on the Prairie” turns 50. “Back to the Future III” turns 35. Both filmed in Tuolumne County.
Ride the rails like Marty McFly at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and learn about Jamestown's longtime role in the entertainment industry on the Walk of Fame. Follow the footsteps of Ingalls family in Columbia State Historic Park, where the enduring TV series was filmed.
The Epic High Sierra Road Trip
- 77% of Tuolumne County, California, is public lands – Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, etc.
- See it on the Epic High Sierra Road Trip, a loop from the Gold Country, over two spectacular mountain passes, down to Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra, back up through Yosemite and back down to Gold Country.
- Highway 108 over Sonora Pass, elevation 9,623 ft.
- Highway 120 over Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park, elevation 9,943 ft.
- Road warriors can drive this loop in under six or seven hours. But why?
Laurie Armstrong Gossy
Media Relations
Visit Tuolumne County
Phone: (415) 290-6830
Email: larmstronggossy@gmail.com
Website: www.visittuolumne.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TravelTuolumneCounty/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TuolumneCounty
