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"Take a look at beautiful El Dorado County" Across the granite peaks of the high Sierra and on to the pristine beauty of Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County invites you to explore. With elevations ranging from around 200 feet to over 10,800 feet, there is tremendous diversity and much to discover in El Dorado County.
Photographs Courtesy of Bob Darling Photography Discover our history. A little over 150 years ago, on January 24th, 1848, James Marshall while overseeing the construction of a sawmill for John Sutter, found gold in the American River. The seemingly simple act of bending down and picking up a shiny object from the water started a tidal wave of humanity from around the world to what would become El Dorado County, California. Word quickly spread and within months, thousands upon thousands of people descended upon the region. As the population swelled, shanty towns became busy centers of commerce and new towns sprang up from nowhere as miners staked their claims. As the population increased so did the problems associated with gold fever. Not everyone found their fortune during the gold rush, in fact there was tremendous poverty everywhere. Combine the impoverished with the wealth and greed of those who "struck it rich" and the environment was ripe for disorder. Yet the brutality of this environment brought about innovation by such people as John Studebaker, Levi Strauss, and Phillip Armour as they built their fortunes not from the gold but the gold miners. Discover our recreation. The summertime crashing and splashing of whitewater adventure on the forks of the American River and the wintertime snow sports around Lake Tahoe are merely bookends for all of what you will find in El Dorado County throughout the year. On any given day you will find residents and visitors alike taking advantage of the endless recreational opportunities. The variety of terrain provides unlimited hiking, biking, fishing, camping, boating, horseback riding, rock climbing and off-road opportunities. There is no end to the way El Dorado County can be enjoyed. Discover our agriculture. Those wishing a little slower pace can enjoy the year round produce, baked goods or cutting your own Christmas tree with a visit to the ranches of the Apple Hill and Farm Trails region. In the same area you can visit some of our many El Dorado County wineries for a taste of some of our award winning wines produced from local grapes. Stroll down any street of one of our colorful historic gold rush towns for some unique shopping and dining. Finally, top it all off with a stay at one of our quaint Historic Country Inns or Bed & Breakfast Inns located throughout the County. Our extraordinary blend of history, recreation and agriculture keeps tourism the number one industry in El Dorado County. There is so much to discover in the different regions of the County. Each with its own past, present, and future offering very distinct opportunities to enjoy. Discover the diversity of El Dorado County for yourself as it continues to attract new visitors, new residents and new business to the Sierra foothills and beyond. |
