Murphys, CA--Queen of the Sierra Foothills/Gold Country
Written: Jul 04 '00 (Updated May 27 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: charming Gold Country setting and history, good arts and wine, caves to explore, hiking
Cons: the town's been discovered, increasingly touristy and expensive
The Bottom Line: Murphys is a prime destination to experience the Sierra Foothills
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| ericgoldman's Full Review: California |
I’ve visited Murphys at least a dozen times over the past decade. Murphys is one of the best destinations in the Sierra foothills/Gold Country and makes a wonderful three-day weekend or week-long trip.
What makes Murphys is a premier Gold Country destination? We like both the town of Murphys and the many great attractions nearby.
Most Gold Country towns have lost their charm, but Murphys hasn’t. The central core consists of about 3 well-maintained blocks. Most of the buildings have been restored, the main street is shady and lined with mature trees, and there’s even a horse-drawn carriage for hire (although strictly for entertainment—walking across Murphys’ core takes 5 minutes, tops).
Lisa and I usually spend a couple of hours meandering through the town visiting the shops. Most of the merchandise in the shops is not especially compelling to us, but it’s fun to look around. In the past couple of years, the shops have become much more upscale and mall-like and thus have become a little more generic, but fortunately you’re not going to find any Baby Gaps or Pottery Barns here. Our favorite stop is Studio Gallery II, a nice art gallery that features our favorite artist, Bambi Papais (see http://www.bambipapaiswatercolors.com). Bambi’s work is an often-whimsical reflection of the Sierra foothill lifestyle (heavy on the wildflowers and frogs), and usually our stop there involves a heated negotiation between Lisa and me about how many “Bambis” we’re going to take home this trip (we have 9 hanging in our house already…and we’re running out of walls…).
I’m not wild about the food in Murphys, and usually we cook our own meals. Grounds is the best restaurant for vegetarians in town and has good options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last trip we tried the new Murphys Grille, which was competent but overpriced. Some of the long-time restaurants (the Nugget, the Chinese food place) are a little scary for vegetarians, and there’s been heavy turnover with most of the other restaurants in town.
We stay at my parent’s second home in a planned community called Forest Meadows, about 5 miles east of Murphys. Forest Meadows (http://www.forestmeadows.com/) has some nice and fairly priced condos for rent which are a great option if you want privacy and independence. In-town lodging options include the Dunbar House (http://www.dunbarhouse.com/) (a small and historic B&B that my secretary enjoyed very much), the Redbud Inn (http://www.redbudinn.com/ ) (a more modern B&B), the historic Murphys Hotel (http://www.murphyshotel.com/), and a new motel on Highway 4.
As much as we enjoy visiting the town itself, Murphys is also conveniently located to a number of great attractions. Some of our favorites:
* caving. Mercer Caverns is a mile from town and is a very enjoyable tourist stop, especially in the heat of summer (it’s 55 degrees inside!). Make sure to get your discount coupons in advance from http://www.mercercaverns.com. It’s also a good kid-friendly destination. Moaning Caverns is about 10 minutes away but we thought the fun factor per dollar was low—the tour was basically descending down 235 stairs (including a vertigo-inducing 150-foot high spiral staircase), hearing about 5 minutes of “talk,” and ascending the steps. Moaning Caverns also offers rappelling and a seriously muddy spelunking tour. Kids are welcome but will likely whine about the stairs or beg to be carried. Finally, California Caverns is about 40 minutes away by some serious backroads and is another good tour like Mercer (visiting both Mercer and California caverns in the same trip is a little redundant, but both are good trips). You can learn about Moaning and California Caverns (owned by the same company) and get your discount coupon at http://www.caverntours.com.
* history. Columbia, one of the best-preserved larger Gold Country towns, is less than 30 minutes away. Columbia has been lovingly restored and has numerous outdoor exhibits that act like a large museum. I especially liked how all of the shopkeepers wear authentic clothing. In Columbia, you can also pan for gold and tour a gold mine, so it’s great for kids. In addition to Columbia, there are many other good historical towns along Highway 49.
* hiking. There are many hiking options very close to Murphys, but most of those are too hot to enjoy during the summer. But good things await up Highway 4, including Calaveras Big Trees State Park about 30 minutes from Murphys at about 5,000 feet (see my review on Big Trees).
* the flowers. Spring is a wonderful time in the area, and the areas around Murphys get a great showing of flowers.
* relaxing. It’s nice to hang out in the shade of a large oak tree, in the park a half-block off Main Street or where ever you want, and enjoy a book, a snack, the breeze and the one you love.
Other activities we haven’t done but you might enjoy:
* wine. Murphys has a burgeoning wine industry, with 9 wineries within 10 minutes of Murphys (and most have tasting stations in the town itself). I’m not a connoisseur, so I won’t critique the quality of wine, but you should explore if you’re into wines. While we tend not to be impressed with wineries, it’s hard not to be impressed with the Kautz Ironstone Vineyards 10 minutes west of Murphys. It’s a lovely setting, so bring your lunch or buy a gourmet lunch there. You can also see the big gold nugget they proudly display.
* skiing. In season, it’s about an hour to the ski resorts up Highway 4. The skiing isn’t Tahoe-quality, but it’s not going to be as crowded as Tahoe either.
* boating/watercraft sports. The Stanislaus River flows into the New Melones reservoir about 20 minutes from Murphys.
* rafting. There are a number of rafting options in the area.
* golfing. There are golf courses in Forest Meadows, Arnold, Angels Camp and Copperopolis. Don’t expect Pebble Beach, but the Forest Meadows and Arnold courses are nicely set in the trees.
Murphys is located at about 2,000 feet in Sierra foothills oak and grassland. Its weather patterns resemble the Central Valley floor more than the Sierra highlands, so expect hot temperatures in the summer and cool temperatures (but no snow) in winter.
Getting to Murphys from the Bay Area is convenient but a little convoluted. From San Carlos, we take the 101 North to the 92 East to the 880 North to the 238 East to the 580 East to the 205 East to the 5 North to the 120 East to the 99 North to Highway 4 East to the 49 South to Murphys Grade Road (this is a local bypass road that is quicker than 4 and takes you right into the heart of town). Whew! (For those of you counting, that’s 11 different freeways!). It’s about 130 miles and takes 2.5 hours with no traffic. The roads are all good except for two poorly graded portions of 4 which make my wife a little nauseous but last only about 10 minutes each. There’s not really any interesting stops along the way—you pass through the Pleasanton/Livermore power malls to the sprawl of Tracy and Manteca, skirt Stockton, and then once on the 4, there’s not much until Angels Camp. We always stop for groceries at the Save Mart in Angels Camp, which has a far better selection than the markets in Murphys.
The word is out about Murphys. Ten years ago, the typical Gold Country excursion was to cruise the 49, and because Murphys is about 10 miles off the 49, not everyone would stop by. Murphys has finally hit the big time, and as a result Murphys has gone upscale and gotten noticeably more “touristy.” But for both old-timers and newcomers, Murphys is a wonderful place to relax, explore and enjoy.
I didn’t find a Murphys-specific site on the web, but http://www.visitcalaveras.org/ gives a good overview of the area.
2008 Update: See my review on Mineral Restaurant in downtown Murphys at http://www1.epinions.com/review/Mineral_epi/content_416041045636.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ericgoldman
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Member: Eric Goldman
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Reviews written: 35
Trusted by: 32 members
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