Scenic Mother Lode: Strike it rich on three Gold Country drives that take you off the beaten path - Travel - Recreation - California

Sunset, May, 2002 by Lora J. Finnegan

* Creeping along in commute traffic, the glare of brake lights hot red, you can easily succumb to daydreams. If you breathe enough truck exhaust, it isn't hard at all to imagine the simple pleasure of winding along an empty two-lane ribbon of asphalt: The windows are down, the sun is warm on your face, and the sweet scent of meadow grasses--or sage, or pine forest, if you prefer--washes over you like a benediction.

There's no better time and place to live out that fantasy than spring in California's Gold Country. State 49 is the backbone of your escape--linking three very different drives that bring you to a covered bridge, green hills and wildflowers, and a ghost town. Pick one route and make a day of it, or do all three over a long weekend. Sneak out midweek and you'll have the Mother Lode pretty much to yourself.

1 The covered bridge loop

DRIVE LENGTH: About 40 miles (loop).

CONTACT: Nevada City Chamber of Commerce: (800) 655-6569, (530) 265-2692, or www.nevadacitychamber.com.

ATTRACTIONS: Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. (530) 265-2740. South Yuba River State Park. Guided walks from March through May. 11 A.M. Sat-Sun. (530) 432-2546.

NEVADA CITY DINING: Cirino's Restaurant. 309 Broad St.; (530) 265-2246. Citronee Bistro and Wine Bar. Closed Sun. 320 Broad; (530) 265-5697.

Rough & Ready, Tyler Foote Crossing, French Corral: The names hint at the colorful character of this loop drive. Start in Grass Valley, wind west through hills bursting with Scotch broom and poppies, then continue past the sleepy burg of Rough & Ready (once so independent it seceded from the Union) before turning north to Bridgeport. For a slow but scenic alternative, take Bitney Springs Road to Pleasant Valley Road.

South Yuba River State Park skips across its namesake river over a 20-mile stretch upstream from Engle-bright Reservoir. The heart of the park is at the bend in the river called Bridgeport, where a restored covered bridge--built in 1862 as a toll bridge for wagons and livestock--stretches 229 feet across the river. Docents note that it's the world's longest single-span covered bridge of truss-and-arch construction. For a reliably good wildflower hike, take the Buttermilk Bend Trail, where poppies, soapwort, and Indian paintbrush provide a bountiful showing. The trail climbs 1.4 miles (one way) alongside an old mining ditch overlooking the South Yuba as it dashes over pale gray granite boulders far below.

Continue driving north and east and you'll bump over narrow dirt roads (follow park signs) to Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, where some of the Gold Rush's most extensive hydraulic mining took place. The mining left its mark: a dramatic gorge of ocher cliffs that you can see from the road or explore on hiking trails. A museum chronicles the gold history; ranger-led walking tours explore clapboard hotels, stables, and a drugstore--the remains of North Bloomfield. From there, North Bloom-field Road takes you back into Nevada City. (It's steep and part gravel; check road conditions with park rangers.)

In Nevada City, window-shop along Broad Street, then enjoy dinner at one of the town's many restaurants. Cirino's offers Old World Italian cuisine; for elegant Mediterranean fare, try Citronee Bistro and Wine Bar.

2 The big trees and famous frogs drive

DRIVE LENGTH: About 45 miles from Copperopolis to Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

CONTACT: Calaveras Visitors Bureau: (800) 225-3764, (209) 736-0049, or www.visitcalaveras.org.

ATTRACTIONS: Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Plenty of good hiking trails. $2 per vehicle, camping $12 per night. (209) 795-2334 or (800) 444-7275 (camping reservations). Chatom Vineyards. 11-5 daily. 1969 State 4, Douglas Flat; (209) 736-6500. New Melones Lake. 320 campsites. $14. (209) 536-9094.

ANGELS CAMP DINING: Camps Restaurant at Greenhorn Creek Resort. 711 McCauley Ranch Rd.; (209) 736-8181. Crusco's Ristorante. Open Thu-Mon (closed for vacation most of June). 1240 S. Main St.; (209) 736-1440.

"They were the first discovered and are the best known," John Muir wrote of the giant sequoias at today's Calaveras Big Trees State Park. "Thousands of travelers from every country have come to pay them tribute." (For more on the trees' discovery, see page 20.)

These big trees are still worthy of tribute and make a fine destination for a backroads drive. Start off on State 4, which enters Calaveras County just east of Stockton, a handy back door into the Gold Country from the Central Valley.

Rolling first through grassy, oakstudded foothills, you'll pass swaths of poppies, goldfields, and buttercups bordering the road near tiny Copperopolis. Fast-growing Angels Camp is well worth a stop for its restaurants, shops, and sidewalk markers celebrating leggy champions--like Rosie the Ribbiter--from past competitions of the frog-jumping contest inspired by Mark Twain's famous story. From here you can detour south on State 49 to New Melones Lake to camp, hike, or rent a boat for fishing (bass, trout, kokanee) or waterskiing.

Continue east on State 4, and the highway skirts the wine country sprouting around Murphys. Chatom Vineyards is right on the highway and is a good stop for picnicking and tasting some estate-grown Zinfandel.