Arnold

Arnold is a humble mountain town located in the beautiful, yet undiscovered, Stainslaus National Forest in Calaveras County. The town is a great pit stop if you need to refresh your supplies. The town has several gas stations, a supermarket (Big Trees Market), restaurants, and a very friendly population.

See

• 1 Sierra Nevada Logging Museum, 2148 Dunbar Rd, ☏ +1-209-795-6782. F Sa noon-4PM. The Sierra Nevada Logging Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of logging in the Sierra Nevada region. The Sierra Nevada Logging Museum is located in the community of White Pines on a 7-acre (28,000 m2) site, originally occupied by the historic logging and mill workers' camp of the Blagen Lumber Company, which operated from 1938 to 1962. The museum is in a 2,400-square-foot (220 m2) building, on a forested slope above White Pines Lake (elevation 4,000 feet). It has an indoor exhibit space, as well as outdoor exhibits of large logging equipment and artifacts. (updated Dec 2021)
• 2 Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Sunrise to sunset. Located three miles outside of town, this 6,498-acre park preserves two groves of giant sequoia trees, with the easily-accessible north grove home to approximately 100 trees, while the more remote south grove is home to about 1,000 trees. It has been a tourist destination since 1852 and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California. A campground is available from March through November. $10 per vehicle. (updated Dec 2020)
• 3 Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway. The Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway is a scenic, 61 miles (98 km) stretch of Highways 4 and 89 that travels from Arnold, through the Sierras, and ends at the town of Markleeville. Travelers along the route will enjoy glacially carved valleys, basalt columns, ancient volcanic peaks, deep canyons, giant sequoias, alpine meadows, mountain lakes, incredible views, swift rivers, and wild country. The route rises up to 8,736 feet (2,663 m) elevation where at Ebbetts Pass; the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the byway at the pass. It is one of the least-travelled passes over the Sierras, making it a great option for those looking to get away from it all, provided you don't mind a few hairpin turns and steep drops! The road closes for the winter due to snow, and vehicles towing trailers are advised to find another route. (updated Dec 2020)

Eat

• 1 Snowshoe Brewing Company, 2050 CA-4, ☏ +1 209 795-2272. This brewery offers an excellent selection of handcrafted beer, fresh food, local wines and family-friendly service. Food options include pizzas and sandwiches. Sports fans will have plenty of TVs available to watch their favorite team. The counselors from the local summer camps usually go there on their breaks for a delicious meal. (updated Dec 2021)

Go next

• 1 Murphys - The small town of Murphys is a Gold Rush era town that today features over a dozen wine tasting rooms and a surprising number of excellent restaurants on its historic Main Street. The town also hosts an annual Irish festival in March that draws thousands of visitors. There are several wineries nearby, and visitors may also want to make the one mile journey north of Murphys to take a paid tour through Mercer Caverns, a short cave filled with a large number of speleothems, stalactites, and stalagmites.
• 2 Bear Valley

Routes through Arnold

Stockton ← Murphys ←

W  E

→ Bear Valley → Markleeville