South Yuba River State Park
Under $25River canyon park in the Sierra Nevada foothills with swimming holes, historic bridges, and Gold Rush-era trails.

Photo: Rebeca.stovall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Preserved gold mine site in the Sierra Nevada foothills with mine buildings, an estate home, and restored gardens.
10791 East Empire Street, Grass Valley, CA · Grass Valley, CA
Set in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Grass Valley, this state historic park preserves the grounds of one of California's oldest and richest gold mines. Visitors can explore many of the mine's original buildings, the owner's home, and restored gardens. A visitor center displays a hidden scale model of the underground workings. Included guided tours cover the historic grounds, and separate estate, mine yard, and garden tours are offered on set schedules. The park also has about fourteen miles of trails across its forested backcountry, and dogs are allowed on trails and in the historic zone.
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