Sharing a white Christmas with your dog is a dream worthy of a Rockwell painting. But with this winter predicted to be mild across the West, your holidays are more likely to have an earth-toned hue.
Instead of keeping your paws crossed that snow is on the horizon for your winter getaway, why not switch the color of your dream and go for the gold? California’s Gold Country is just a bone’s throw from the Bay Area (two to three hours from San Francisco, depending on your destination), and offers so many canine-friendly options that your holiday is guaranteed to sparkle.
“We’re so dog-friendly it’s just not funny,” says Jim Novak, a self-described “principal character” at the Groveland Hotel, referring to both the hotel and the Gold Country in general. Indeed, dogs have been enjoying the Mother Lode since the Gold Rush. Lonely miners who left friends and family behind to seek their fortunes found comfort and companionship in dogs. One little town on the Feather River even got the moniker Dogtown because dogs outnumbered the miners’ houses.
Dogtown was renamed Magalia when the miners’ wives eventually joined them out west and apparently found the name unacceptable. Magalia isn’t located in what most people now consider the Gold Country, but it certainly was in 1859. That’s when miners there found a 54-pound chunk of gold – dubbed the Dogtown Nugget – the largest in the world at that time.
“Dogs have always been tail-waggin’ happy here,” says Sandy Gordon of the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau. She says visitors are often amazed at the number of local destinations that welcome dogs.
This holiday season, you and your smiling dog can choose from a wide assortment of Gold Country diversions. You can cut your own Christmas tree (and earn a treat in the process), pan for gold, sniff out gold-oriented parks, take a stage coach ride, and even visit the state’s best-preserved Gold Rush town together. And with plenty of warm and comfy lodgings that welcome dogs, your nights will shine as brightly as your days. Read on for the details.
Live the Gold Rush Life
Columbia State Historic Park is actually a well-preserved Gold Rush town. It’s alive with activity, yet blissfully free of cars. You can get a haircut at the state’s oldest barbershop, sip sarsaparilla at a saloon, and buy old-style dry goods at shops modeled after general stores of the 1850s. Many of the old-time stores get into the spirit of the season, with special Christmas merchandise and décor.
Be sure to bring a human friend if you want to enter these establishments, because dogs have to stay outside (and be leashed). They shouldn’t be left alone, even for a few minutes, so just take turns dog-sitting. Stagecoach rides, welcome both dogs and people, for a fee. Free guided tours are given at 11 a.m. on winter weekends.
Columbia hosts a few holiday-themed events, including “Columbia’s Merry Merchants” (the evening of December 6), where you can shop in the tradition of bygone days and even meet Father Christmas on someone’s porch.
Sniff Out a Tree
Western El Dorado County is home to dozens of Christmas tree farms, most of which allow leashed dogs to help their people select the perfect tree. (Try to prevent your dog from doing leg lifts on the trees, because they are all destined for someone’s living room.)
Dee Kobervig of Crystal Creek Farm offers candy canes to human visitors and dog biscuits to those of the canine persuasion. “We absolutely welcome dogs,” she says.
Hit the Mother Lode
The folks at Gold Prospecting Adventures say they’ve never met a dog who didn’t like helping his person pan for gold. You and your dog can take a walking tour guided by a prospector and then get down to the business of panning. You keep what you find –and it is said that everyone finds something in this special section of the Mother Lode. Adventures can be as short as one hour or as long as two days.
Co-owner Brent Shock says his dogs, Bucho and Sasha, haven’t found gold themselves, but thanks to a propensity for squirrel-chasing, they’ve led him to gold. His dad’s now-deceased dog, Twinkles, used to stick her head underwater in a panning trough and come up with a gold nugget every time. She was trained to do it, of course, and the nugget was planted, so don’t expect your dog to scoop up the down payment for your new house.
There are plenty of other gold country attractions for you and your canines (see sidebar for details). So head for the hills – and may your holidays be truly golden.
DOGS DIG THESE PARKS
Here are some Gold Rush-themed parks well worth a visit. Dogs have limited access at some, and they must be leashed, but at least they get in for free:
Columbia State Historic Park, Columbia • 209-532-3184 or 209-588-9128, www.columbiacalifornia.com. (see article text for details)
Empire Mine State Historic Park, Grass Valley • 530-273-8522; www.empiremine.org. At one time here, miners descended deep into the earth to search for gold in 350 miles of tunnels. The place was dark and dirty, but gleaming with gold – nearly six million ounces of the precious ore was extracted during the mine’s century of use. Now it’s a quiet 854-acre park with lush gardens and green meadows. While the mine and surrounding buildings are inactive, they’re still intriguing to inspect.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Coloma • 530-622-3470; www.parks.ca.gov. James Marshall, whose discovery of gold in John Sutter’s mill started the Gold Rush, died a penniless recluse. But at least he had a dog-friendly state park dedicated to his memory.
Hangtown’s Gold Bug Park, Placerville • 530-621-3663; www.goldbugpark.org. Dogs can stretch their legs here exploring terrain that was once home to 250 mines. You and your dog can walk around the park’s dirt paths or picnic under the oak and pine trees. The Gold Bug Mine, for people only, is a fascinating stop for Gold Rush fans.
GOLDEN LODGINGS
You don’t have to own a gold mine to afford a stay in Gold Country. Here’s a selection of charming, dog-friendly lodgings for every budget:
Amador Motel, Jackson • 209-223-0970. Mary, who owns this very affordable, clean motel in Jackson, says “I’d rather have dogs here than children.” Dogs are allowed to run free in the motel’s big backyard area.
Columbia Gem Motel, Columbia • 209-532-4508; www.columbiagem.com. Just a bone’s throw from Columbia State Historic Park, and the name “motel” doesn’t do this place justice. Only four units are motel-style, while seven are log cabins, with warm and cozy interiors perfect for a winter getaway. Dogs can peruse the acre of manicured grounds as long as their humans scoop the poop.
Courtyard Bed & Breakfast, San Andreas • 209-754-1518. Book the honeymoon suite at this charming San Andreas B&B if you want a little romance in your holiday getaway. It comes with a baby grand piano, a private deck, a fireplace, and access to an outdoor hot tub.
Groveland Hotel, Groveland • 209-962-4000 or 800-273-3314; www.groveland.com. The suites at this Gold Rush-era inn, originally built in 1849, come with fireplaces and whirlpool baths to ensure an evening of romantic relaxation. It’s a top-notch inn for canines, too: Dogs get a treat, a snuggly quilt, and a dish.
The Lure Resort, Downieville • 530-289-3465 or 800-671-4084; www.lureresort.com. You can choose a charming housekeeping cottage or a cozy log camping cabin at this 14-acre resort along a half-mile stretch of the Yuba River.
National Hotel, Jamestown • 209-984-3446 or 800-894-3446; www.national-hotel.com. Built in 1859, this is one of the oldest continuously running hotels in California. Well-behaved dogs are welcomed here with a nifty pet basket containing treats, food and water bowls, towels, and other necessities. The owner, Stephen Willey, has dogs and loves dogs. “We will also accept well-behaved pet owners, if their pets can vouch for them,” says the hotel’s website.
St. George Hotel, Volcano • 209-296-4458; www.stgeorgehotel.com. Dogs come really close to staying in a National Historic Landmark when they visit this hotel set in a picturesque semi-ghost town. The hotel’s main three-story brick building was actually built during the Gold Rush. Dogs can’t sleep there, but they’re welcome at the beautiful bungalow garden room annex.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
El Dorado County Christmas Tree Growers • www.chooseandcut.com.
Crystal Creek Farm, Camino • 530-644-3388.
Gold Prospecting Adventures • Jamestown 209-984-4653 or 800-596-0009; www.goldprospecting.com.
Maria Goodavage and her yellow dog, Jake, dig Gold Country. Read more about it in the new 6th edition of their 1,000-page book, The Dog Lover’s Companion to California.
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