--- title: "Placerville — Explore Arnold | Arnold Haven" description: "Old Hangtown at the top of Highway 49: a brick Main Street, a walk-in gold mine, and the hub for Apple Hill and Coloma." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Event", "name": "Pool Paw-ty! City of Placerville Parks and Rec", "startDate": "2026-09-12", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "A fun pool event hosted by the Parks and Rec.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Placerville", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Placerville", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "2026 LOCALS’ WEEKEND", "startDate": "2026-09-12", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Celebrating local residents with special discounts at participating farms.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Apple Hill Growers", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "HARD CIDER TRAIL", "startDate": "2026-09-12", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "The Hard Cider Trail opens for the fall season across participating farms.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Apple Hill Growers", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "Apple Hill Season 2026", "startDate": "2026-09-14", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Celebrating the Apple Hill season.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Camino", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "Bingo Night, Pollock Pines Community Center", "startDate": "2026-09-15", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Join for a fun-filled evening of bingo!", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Pollock Pines Community Center", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Pollock Pines", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "Handblown Glass Pumpkin Patch @ Bluestone Meadow of Apple Hill", "startDate": "2026-09-18", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "An event showcasing handmade glass pumpkins.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Camino", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "2026 Across the Canyon Weekend", "startDate": "2026-09-19", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Special weekend with offers celebrating neighboring counties.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Apple Hill Growers", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } }, { "@type": "Event", "name": "2026 FLOWER TRAIL", "startDate": "2026-09-20", "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Experience beautiful flower trails at local farms.", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Apple Hill Growers", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Camino", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US" } } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "TouristAttraction", "@id": "https://arnoldhaven.com/explore/placerville-ca#attraction", "name": "Placerville", "alternateName": "Placerville", "description": "Old Hangtown at the top of Highway 49: a brick Main Street, a hardware store that has never closed, a gold mine under the hill, and the practical hub for Apple Hill and Coloma.", "url": "https://arnoldhaven.com/explore/placerville-ca", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Arnold", "addressRegion": "California", "addressCountry": "US" } }, { "@type": "ItemList", "name": "Lodging for a Highway 49 road trip", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "CHALET BRUIN", "url": "https://arnoldhaven.com/cabins/chalet-bruin" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "KODA LOFT", "url": "https://arnoldhaven.com/cabins/koda-loft" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://arnoldhaven.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Explore", "item": "https://arnoldhaven.com/explore" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Placerville", "item": "https://arnoldhaven.com/explore/placerville-ca" } ] } ] } ] --- [Skip to content](#main-content) [![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png)Arnold Haven Arnold · California ](/) [Cabins](/cabins)[Explore](/explore)[Guides](/guides)[Membership](/circle)[Support](/chalet-bruin-future)[Merch](/merch)[Book a stay](/cabins) ![Placerville](/assets/placerville-main-street-CWyjj7vC.jpg) Explore Arnold # Placerville Old Hangtown at the top of Highway 49: a brick Main Street, a hardware store that has never closed, a gold mine under the hill, and the practical hub for Apple Hill and Coloma. [Check availability](/cabins)[See the cabins](/cabins) First things first ## First things first Placerville is the El Dorado County seat and the biggest town on the northern end of Highway 49. It grew out of a Gold Rush camp known as Hangtown, kept its brick and iron-shuttered Main Street, and became the crossroads where Highway 50 traffic heading for Tahoe meets Gold Country traffic heading north and south. From Arnold it is about two hours up Highway 49 — the far end of the Gold Country drive, and the natural pairing with Apple Hill in autumn or Coloma any time of year. ![A historic brick main street with iron-shuttered storefronts and a white bell tower](/assets/placerville-main-street-CWyjj7vC.jpg) Geography ## Where Placerville sits ![Illustrated antique-style map of California inside the United States with a gold marker on Placerville at the north end of Highway 49](/assets/placerville-CS-i-dSe.jpg) Illustrated locator map — for orientation, not navigation. The old Gold Rush camp of Hangtown, now the county seat, with a brick Main Street and a walk-in gold mine at Gold Bug Park. It is the practical hub for Apple Hill, Coloma and the El Dorado wineries. About two hours north of both cabins — the far end of the Gold Country drive up Highway 49. Region Sierra Nevada foothills, where Highway 49 meets Highway 50 County El Dorado County Elevation About 1,860 ft Nearest town Placerville itself, with Coloma twenty minutes north Getting there Highway 4 to Angels Camp, then Highway 49 north through Jackson 02 ## Main Street The historic core is a few walkable blocks of nineteenth-century brick under the bell tower, with independent bookshops, antique stores, a long-running soda fountain, breweries and more restaurants than a town this size has any right to. The old hardware store on Main has been trading since the Gold Rush and is worth going into whether or not you need anything. It is a working town rather than a preserved museum street, which is precisely its charm — parking is metered, the pavements are busy on Saturday, and people actually live here. ![A historic brick main street with iron-shuttered storefronts and a white bell tower](/assets/placerville-main-street-CWyjj7vC.jpg) ![A small foothill town square with old brick buildings, benches and shade trees](/assets/placerville-square-lFF0vqb0.jpg) 03 ## Gold Bug Park A mile from Main Street, the town owns a hard-rock gold mine you can walk into. Self-guided audio takes you through the lit tunnel, and there is a working stamp mill and a blacksmith shop on the site, plus picnic ground and short trails in the surrounding oaks. It is a straightforward, genuinely interesting hour and easily the best value gold-mining stop in the northern Gold Country. Season and opening hours vary — the city publishes current park hours. ![A lit timber-framed mine tunnel entrance cut into a hillside with a wooden walkway](/assets/placerville-gold-mine-BlWhnQHx.jpg) 04 ## Using Placerville as a base for the day The sensible shape of a Placerville day trip from Arnold is: drive up Highway 49 in the morning, Coloma or Apple Hill first while it is cool, then Main Street for a late lunch, Gold Bug Park after, and home before dark. Wine tasting in the El Dorado hills fits in easily if you swap out the mine. Highway 50 through town is the main Tahoe route and gets heavy on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings in ski season. Time your crossing accordingly, and check Caltrans for chain control if there is snow on the pass. 05 ## Where to stay in the Gold Country Both cabins are two hours south in Arnold, which works well for a Highway 49 road trip broken into day trips: Angels Camp and Murphys close by, Sutter Creek and Jackson in the middle, Placerville and Coloma at the top. Cool pine forest at night, and a kitchen for whatever you bought at the orchards. - [CHALET BRUIN — 12 guests, 5 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT — 4 guests, 2 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/koda-loft) Nearby ## Keep exploring [ ![Coloma](/assets/coloma-sawmill-Cv4xvQ-Q.jpg) ### Coloma The Gold Discovery park on the American River, twenty minutes north. Discover ↗ ](/explore/coloma-ca) [ ![Apple Hill](/assets/apple-hill-orchard-Dfxe0w2W.jpg) ### Apple Hill Orchards, cider and pie in the hills just east of town, best in October. Discover ↗ ](/explore/apple-hill) [ ![Highway 49 road trip](/assets/placerville-square-lFF0vqb0.jpg) ### Highway 49 road trip The whole Gold Country drive from Arnold, town by town. Discover ↗ ](/guides/road-trips/highway-49-road-trip) What's on ## Upcoming events near Placerville, CA The next three months of local happenings, so you can time your stay around the good stuff. Event details come from public community calendars and can change or sell out. Please confirm times with the organiser before making the drive. ### September 2026 Sat, Sep 12 Event ### Pool Paw-ty! City of Placerville Parks and Rec A fun pool event hosted by the Parks and Rec. 11:00 AM Placerville, Placerville Sat, Sep 12 Event ### 2026 LOCALS’ WEEKEND Celebrating local residents with special discounts at participating farms. 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Apple Hill Growers, Camino Sat, Sep 12 Trail ### HARD CIDER TRAIL The Hard Cider Trail opens for the fall season across participating farms. 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Apple Hill Growers, Camino Mon, Sep 14 Festival ### Apple Hill Season 2026 Celebrating the Apple Hill season. Camino Tue, Sep 15 Games ### Bingo Night, Pollock Pines Community Center Join for a fun-filled evening of bingo! 5:00 PM Pollock Pines Community Center, Pollock Pines Fri, Sep 18 Event ### Handblown Glass Pumpkin Patch @ Bluestone Meadow of Apple Hill An event showcasing handmade glass pumpkins. Camino Sat, Sep 19 Event ### 2026 Across the Canyon Weekend Special weekend with offers celebrating neighboring counties. 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Apple Hill Growers, Camino Sun, Sep 20 Event ### 2026 FLOWER TRAIL Experience beautiful flower trails at local farms. 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Apple Hill Growers, Camino Stay nearby ## Lodging for a Highway 49 road trip Placerville sits at the top of the Gold Country drive; from Arnold you can take Highway 49 in day-trip sections. Looking for Calaveras County lodging? Arnold Haven has two dog-friendly cabins — a five-bedroom A-frame chalet that sleeps 12 and a two-bedroom loft that sleeps 4. Minimum stay is 2 nights, check-in is at 3pm and check-out at 11am. Check-in Self check-in, 3pm Cancellation Full refund 5+ days ahead; holidays 30 days - [CHALET BRUIN — 12 guests, 5 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT — 4 guests, 2 bedrooms→ ](/cabins/koda-loft) Check live availability, see your full price, and book securely — ID check and payment are handled by Stripe. Check dates & book Good to know ## Frequently asked questions How far is Placerville from Arnold? + About two hours north on Highway 49, at the northern end of the Gold Country corridor. Why is Placerville called Hangtown? + The Gold Rush camp earned the nickname from a pair of summary hangings in 1849. The name stuck, was formally dropped when the town incorporated, and survives locally in business names and on a well-known plate of eggs and oysters. Can you go inside the gold mine? + Yes — Gold Bug Park has a walk-in hard-rock mine with self-guided tours, plus a stamp mill and blacksmith shop. Check the city's current opening hours, which vary by season. What is there to do with children? + The mine, the soda fountain on Main Street, and the swimming and gold panning at Coloma twenty minutes away make a good combination for a family day. ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/84bf9984-9cf8-406b-aaf5-dbde0a9f8c6a/arnold-haven-mark-white.png) Arnold Haven Cabin stays in Arnold, California — minutes from Calaveras Big Trees State Park, White Pines Lake and Bear Valley. [Check availability](/cabins) Cabins - [CHALET BRUIN](/cabins/chalet-bruin) - [KODA LOFT](/cabins/koda-loft) - [All cabins](/cabins) - [Check availability](/availability-search) - [About us](/about) - [Things to do](/things-to-do) - [Support Chalet Bruin](/chalet-bruin-future) - [Merch](/merch) Explore - [Arnold, CA](/explore/arnold-california) - [Big Trees State Park](/explore/big-trees-state-park) - [Murphys, CA](/explore/murphys-california) - [Bear Valley Ski Resort](/explore/bear-valley-ski-resort) - [Dodge Ridge Ski Resort](/explore/dodge-ridge-ski-resort) - [Sonora, CA](/explore/sonora-ca) - [Twain Harte, CA](/explore/twain-harte-ca) - [Strawberry, CA](/explore/strawberry-ca) - [Jackson, CA](/explore/jackson-ca) - [Columbia State Historic Park](/explore/columbia-state-historic-park) - [Black Chasm Cavern](/explore/black-chasm-cavern) - [Moaning Caverns](/explore/moaning-caverns) - [Mercer Caverns](/explore/murphys-california/mercer-caverns) - [Angels Camp, CA](/explore/angels-camp-ca) - [Mokelumne Hill](/explore/mokelumne-hill) - [San Andreas, CA](/explore/san-andreas-ca) - [Lake Alpine](/explore/lake-alpine) - [Spicer Meadow Reservoir](/explore/spicer-meadow-reservoir) - [White Pines Lake](/explore/arnold-california/white-pines-lake) - [Arnold Rim Trail](/explore/arnold-california/arnold-rim-trail) - [Sequoia Woods Country Club](/explore/arnold-california/sequoia-woods-country-club) - [Forest Meadows Golf Course](/explore/forest-meadows-golf-course) - [Highway 4 conditions](/explore/highway-4-conditions) Guides - [The Best Fishing Spots Near Arnold, CA](/guides/fishing/fishing-spots-near-arnold) - [The Best Hiking Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/hiking/arnold-hiking-trails) - [Dog-Friendly Hikes Near Arnold, CA](/guides/hiking/dog-friendly-hikes-near-arnold) - [Top Restaurants Near Arnold, CA](/guides/restaurants/arnold-restaurants) - [The Best Restaurants in Sonora, CA](/guides/restaurants/sonora-restaurants) - [Rock Climbing near Arnold, CA](/guides/rock-climbing/rock-climbing-spots-arnold) - [The Top Mountain Bike Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/mountain-biking/mountain-bike-trails-near-arnold) - [OHV and Dirt Bike Trails Near Arnold, CA](/guides/ohv/ohv-dirt-bike-trails-near-arnold) - [Rafting near Arnold](/guides/rafting/rafting-near-arnold) - [Highway 49 road trip](/guides/road-trips/highway-49-road-trip) - [Snow play near Arnold](/guides/snow-play/snow-play-near-arnold) Legal - [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) - [Terms & Conditions](/terms-conditions) - Cookie preferences © 2026 Arnold Haven. All rights reserved. Arnold Haven only uses cookies that keep the site working. With your permission we also load a few extras — like the Bear Valley mountain cameras — which set cookies of their own. You can decline, and change your mind at any time. [Privacy Policy](/privacy-policy) DeclineAccept All