AMADOR COUNTY

Amador Adventure. Gold Rush History, world-class wines, year-round outdoor activities, and locally-owned shops. Switch it up with gaming at Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort or Harrah’s Northern California Casino and dining at farm-to-fork restaurants.

Vibe:

Modern food, wine, shops inside historic buildings.

Known for:

Oldest Zinfandel planting in United States

Don’t miss:

Taste Restaurant in Plymouth

Area Summary:

Located 45 miles southeast of Sacramento and 125 miles from San Francisco, Amador County, founded in 1848, is in the middle of Gold Country, California. Highways 49 and 88, provide north-south and east-west access. Rivers mark the north and south boundaries: Cosumnes River and Mokelumne River, respectively. Elevations range from 300 to nearly 9,000 feet, which makes Amador a playground of year-round activities from extreme athletes to active toddlers.

Quartz rock veins, called the Mother Lode, ran deepest and richest in Gold Country’s Amador County and produced $160 million in gold between 1851 and 1942. Kennedy and Argonaut Mines in Jackson were close to 6,000 feet dep and the deepest mines in Gold Country.

Amador County has five incorporated cities, three towns, and a village named Volcano. Pine Grove, Pioneer and Kirkwood are communities along State Scenic Highway 88. Many settlers arrived in Gold Country along this road.

Amador’s wines come from vines planted in volcanic Sierra Series soils, primarily sandy clay loam derived from decomposed granite, which allows farmers to dry-farm vineyards.