Have you heard about Pioneer, California? Probably, not. And I love finding these little gems around the Golden State for you. Let me tell you – there is a bunch of things to do in Pioneer California, enough for a good long weekend.
I love visiting Pioneer in the high heat of summer. Why? Because there is a perfect set of things to do in Pioneer CA to keep you cool, literally!
Pioneer is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains about 140 miles from San Francisco Bay Area right on HW 88. If you ever went to Kirkwood to ski, you passed by it and probably didn’t even notice.
So what are those great things to do in Pioneer CA? Below is the list of my favorites.
Things To Do In Pioneer California
Things To Do In Pioneer California: #1 Black Chasm Cavern National Natural Landmark
Taking a tour of Black Chasm Cavern is one of the most unique things to do in Pioneer California. Black Chasm Cavern is one of the best caves in the state. It has GORGEOUS stalactite, stalagmite and helictite formations. The latter are very rare, you can only see them in 5% of the caves around the world.
You can book a guided tour into the cave and enjoy all this beauty as well as learn a lot about the geology of the area. This is a great tour for the summer because the temperature in the cavern holds steady in the 50s F regardless how hot it is outside, which offers visitors a perfect reprise from the heat.
Black Chasm Cavern is located just 4.5 miles from Pioneer. We all felt that this is one of the coolest things to do in California.
Things To Do In Pioneer California: #2 Amador County Wine Region
Amador County is famous for its vineyards. May be this wine growing region is not as well-known as Napa or Sonoma but trust me, it is definitely worth your attention if you like wine.
Amador County wine region has more than 40 wineries, which is a lot, and many of them are really good ones that produce some delicious wine. We have 2 favorite wineries in the area which we are always happy recommend to our friends.
Karmere Vineyards and Winery
I love Karmere because it makes champagne. I have a very soft spot for champagne and very few wineries produce it so I love going tasting where champagne is available. Tastings are $10 per person but the fee is waved with a purchase of a bottle of wine (and I promise you that you will want to buy more than one :-))
Also Karmere has very beautiful, picture perfect gardens for you to enjoy.
Lusso Della Terra
We got acquainted with Lusso Della Terra‘s delicious wines when they were our neighbors in Paso Robles wine region and we were very sad when the winery relocated to Amador County last year… But now you can visit them if you go to Pioneer.
Definitely book their wine and cheese pairing or oysters and bubbles tasting – yummy!
It is less than 20 miles drive from Pioneer to Amador County wine region and there is nothing better in the heat of summer than sipping cold champagne in an air-conditioned tasting room. 🙂
Things To Do In Pioneer California: #3 Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Visiting Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is another very unique thing to do in Pioneer CA. This State Park is dedicated to life and traditions of Native American tribes who used to live in the area, such as Miwok.
Each time we go to a historic park or a history museum I tell my kids that we are going to do “time travel” and they love the idea.
There is an interesting indoor museum (air-conditioned, perfect when it is hot outside) and a big outdoor area that showcases how an Indian village would have looked like with different structures including a ceremonial building that is being used by local tribes for ceremonies up to this day.
The centerpiece of the outdoor exhibits is a huge slab of limestone which the Native Americans used to grind acorns into flour. I have never seen anything like this, anywhere. It is really fascinating!
And where there are acorns, there are oaks. There are several magnificent old oaks on the territory of the museum and a couple of short hiking trails for you to explore the area.
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is located just 6 miles from Pioneer CA.
Things To Do In Pioneer California: #4 Scenic Drive on HWY 88
Taking a scenic ride along HW 88 up to the border with Nevada is a must thing to do in Pioneer California. There are lots of attractions to see along the way and several opportunities to get out of the car for fun adventures.
Here are some things not to miss in their order of appearance on your drive East:
Scenic Viewpoints
Two scenic viewpoints will come first: Peddler Hill and Shot Rock. Get out of the car here, stretch your legs and enjoy the beauty.
Silver Lake
Silver Lake is a gorgeous alpine lake. It may be too cold to swim in but there is a prefect picnic area there at Sandy Cove. Spend as much time as you want.
Caples Lake
Caples Lake will also probably be too cold to swim but what I like about it is the Caples Lake Resort that has a marina where you can rent non-motorized water equipment such as kayaks, canoes, etc.
Hope Valley / Pickett’s Junction
Pickett’s Junction is a place where HWY 88 meets with HWY 89 and it would have been no more special than any other road intersection except that several mountain creeks intersect in this area as well, including West Fork Carson River. And so it becomes a place of great beauty.
I love to get out of the car here (park along the shoulder or at Hope Valley Wildlife Area parking lot) and walk along these bubbling creeks or even IN them to cool off your feet.
But most people come here to fish. If you have California fishing license, it is a great spot for fishing for trout.
Pickett’s Junction is located at over 8000 ft elevation so it is typically 10 or15 F cooler up there then at the Foothills level, which is great on a really hot day.
There are other scenic pull outs along HWY 88 and hiking trails starting right from the highway – feel free to stop as much as you want and enjoy the opportunities when you see them.
If you are a fan of hiking, check out guided interpretive walks and hikes starting from Carson Pass Information Center.
Things To Do In Pioneer California: #5 Apple Hill
Apple Hill is a destination in itself – if you like apples, pumpkins, farms and fall festivities in general that’s the place to be. You can learn everything you need to know about this wonderful destination in my article Things to Do in Apple Hill.
You can easily spend 2-3 days in Apple Hill but if you are short on time, you can do a day trip from Pioneer CA, which will take you about an hour drive one way.
It is best to visit Apple Hill from August through October. But try to avoid weekends because it will be very crowded.
Where to Stay in Pioneer CA
When we visited Pioneer CA we stayed at Pioneer Inn & Suites. It was a little dated but we loved the swimming pool and the hot tub.
Currently, however, this hotel is closed for major renovations. It is bad news if you want to travel soon but good news if you are going to travel to Pioneer in the future because hopefully after renovations it is going to be a really great place to stay.
In the meantime you can rent a cabin – there are over a dozen properties available on Airbnb in the vicinity of Pioneer.
I hope you will enjoy your trip to Pioneer CA. If you found my article about things to do in Pioneer California, please, share this itinerary with friends since it may help them with their travel plans too.
Happy travels!
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