Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

Rebecca Currin

2023-12

Great place to learn about the California Gold rush. The Museum is small but excellent. We walked up to the monument which was a perfect short hike for kids. The river is gorgeous.

Monica

2024-04

Excellent historical park with lots to do and discover. Has all the elements and experiences of the gold rush era and has interactive elements as well. We love being part of the Coloma Community Market between November and April. Great vibes!!Restrooms: Public restrooms have flushing toilets and are clean by parks standards.Dog-friendliness: We see so many pets being walked along the trails. Very pet friendly.Picnic area: Picnic tables around the park offers a place to stop and eat during your ventures or after a long hike on the many trails.

Jon Jones

2023-12

An amazing park at the location which sparked the California gold rush! We learned to pan for gold and found some too! The museum and surrounding exhibits are so informitive and we left having gained lots of knowledge about the gold rush and the different cultures that camr to the area because of it. A great day trip for families with children!Restrooms: There are plenty of restrooms in this small park

Roberto Toffoletti

2023-11

Such a great place to take the family for some fun. From cooking dough on a stick to panning for gold. Great experience for the adventurous soul!!

Town Traveller

2023-12

Beautifully preserved, educational, pet friendly, and the location of the first gold discovery site. There's a $10 parking fee, and everything else is free

Shaddoe

2024-04

Did you ever read about the California Gold Rush? Yeah. It started here. In this park you will find the Gold Discovery Site, and the Final Resting Place of James W. Marshall, the man who first discovered it.Definitely worth a visit. That is, of you're into history as I am. I believe the fee (per car) was between $8-$10.Note to self, add photos later.

Justin Soulsby

2023-07

What a neat place to learn about California history. Pretty area too. Our tour guide, Ed, who is the park historian, was fantastic. Learned so much from the tour. Great place to sit under a nice shady tree and have a picnic lunch too.

Mohan KV

2024-01

Beautiful trail and nice place to visit if you want to know about the California Gold rush.

Marsha Keller

2023-12

The park improves all the time- the new “Mormon” cabin, where the man actually recorded the gold discovery date is pristine- fun to know how this place came to be. .Restrooms: Three at the museum-Picnic area: Lots of tables

Kryssi Heitman

2023-06

Great Historical Park. Highlights the gold rush history of California and how it all began. There is a lot of places to enjoy having picnic lunch. They have a beautiful restaurant that has fresh food that brings together the flavors of California together harmoniously. Beautiful area to walk around to enjoy the scenery as well. The picnic areas are shaded. They have bathrooms available. The staff are really friendly.

Tiberiu Popa

2023-11

Marshall Gold Discovery State Park is a five-star gem! Its historical inscriptions offer an immersive journey into the Gold Rush era. As a pet owner, the plentiful water fountains for my dog were a thoughtful touch. This park seamlessly blends history, nature, and pet-friendliness, making it a must-visit in California.

Jason Shultz

2023-08

Nice little campground. Very quiet. It’s a good place to launch your whitewater rafting adventures. Breakfast and lunch was good. The staff is really friendly. The camp host was great.

Rebecca Gebs

2022-05

Had a great visit with our family today. Definitely time your trip to take the tour. They offered it at 11am & 1pm from the souvenir shop. We also did a gold panning lesson where we all enjoyed finding small flakes of gold. It was fun to learn about the history of the area and the beginning of the gold rush. Lots of walking paths to the different exhibits. We had a satisfying lunch at the cafe. In all, we spent about 5 hours there. Definitely a great day!

Yeahoo Whoyah

2023-05

Took a group of friends from Ireland 🇮🇪 who were quite interested in California history. They truly enjoyed the hours we spent in the park. I was pleasantly surprised to find everything open on Monday January 2 the observed holiday for New Years. Museum, gold panning, blacksmiths shop, all available. If you’re looking for something fun and educational be sure to tour this place.

Jen

2024-04

1st time visitor. Quite the hidden gem. Beautiful park to explore. I'm from out of state so I was a bit confused as to fees etc but hopefully figured out accurately.Everyone I came in contact with was friendly. My two dogs loved it!Restrooms: Restrooms are extremely clean and very well keptDog-friendliness: Dogs haven! Don't forget to clean up after ur pets. Bring bags

Mark McCraley

2023-08

Fun walk, park is on both sides of the highway. By the river, they Have a monument where the original saw mill was and where gold was fist discovered a mockup of the saw mill, on the other side is a museum, and several buildings showing how mining was done and a Chinese wares shop. To the south there are old buildings and markers explaining what they were. On the second Saturday of the month they have people dressed in period clothing showing old style crafts, also there are activities for the kids. The Blacksmith shop to the south has active demos that day too. (Don't know if it is second Saturday all year round or just during tourist season). No mention of Samuel Brannan 😀Restrooms: There are rest rooms in the parking area and by the museum/gift shop. The museum ones are well maintained.

Katie Myers

2021-05

On a weekday in late winter, the park was mostly quiet and very easy to navigate while socially distancing. There were great views of the rivers and some short trails that we checked out with my preschooler. We didn't venture into the village area but enjoyed driving by the old school house and post office. Practical tips, there was no soap in the bathroom seemingly right after it was serviced, so bring your own for any stops. They also have an unmanned booth right now so use a cash envelope system for parking so bring $10 and a pen!

Yonkers Channel

2023-05

Great place to have a family hike, see indoor and outdoor historical artifacts, bring a picnic basket and have lunch, visit museums, and pan for gold. There is so much to do here, we weren't able to see everything in the time allotted. There are parking lots for a reasonable fee or one can park street side but that could be a bit risky. There are plenty of picnic tables all over the place. The gold panning has a $10 fee per person panning and has a time limit of about 45 minutes, there is a brief instruction on how to pan for gold by one of the State park rangers or volunteers. Kids liked this gold panning the best. We'd come back here again.

Tiffany A

2022-05

Lots of fun! Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. Both adults and kids (ages 9 & 7) had a great time. Loved the gold panning lessons. Museum was really neat to learn a little about history. We also enjoyed visiting the recreational gold panning area at the river. Dogs were allowed at the river, just not in the buildings. We didn't have enough time in our plans to visit everything but would recommend you save time in your trip to walk around!

Joe C

2023-05

Wow, what a great day here! Toured the grounds went to the museum, very informative! Then panned in the American River southern branch, we found some flakes which was pretty cool! The best part was just chilling out by the river.

Kathleen Medley Music

2023-05

Excellent state park, with Best kept museum, offering 3 movies, too. Pay FEE in museum & take only photos, please. You can see exhibits about the native People, the Miwok and Wintu throughout the park, grinding rocks used for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years,The beautiful American River ,the Chinese Wahop store is amazing, walk inside! The monument trail is easy & well kept. The view from James Marshall statue points to spot, where he actually found the gold. Trail leads to old cemetery, church & his cabin. More difficult trail gives views looking down on American River. Picnic & BBQ in many areas. Research the black, former slave Monroe family that left the park to all of us! Monroe's Blacksmith shop is a must see. The Argonaut restaurant is only open Thurs-Sunday this fall. The original jail is in ruins. Special events offered, check this out! For kids or new visitors; Warning river is always cold year round and moves quickly, P, people drown in it every year year. Thank you for using common sense and being safe.Restrooms: Many restrooms on both sides, with Hwy 49 dividing. Flush toilets, please help keep clean, Thank you.Picnic area: Extensive picnic & BBQ on museum & on river side of Hwy 49 & more up by monument, built BY WPA 1940, research this, worth a Google search!

Audrey W

2024-04

The tour guide (park interpreter) was great with the group and had interesting facts. The tour was well thought out and appropriate for the 4th graders. The gold panning experience was also a lot of fun!

Kia Hamm (the happy hamm)

2023-05

Good trails. A wonderful cool body of water to tiptoe into after a hike. Informative plaques along the trails. Preserved houses, teepees. Beautiful scenery, deer, and mountain lions, oh my! We didn't see any mountain lions, though.

Profesor Adams

2022-05

This is a beautiful area to spend the afternoon with the family. There is a museum (very affordable) that documents quite well the historical aspects of the gold rush. There are old buildings, monuments, a mill and a large park area. If you are up for a 3 mile loop hike (moderate ability). The Monroe Ridge Trail and the Monument Trail begin right behind the museum.

Meghan M.

2023-05

Lots of fun and education for the whole family! We spent about three hours exploring and then panning for gold and garnets. Visited in the morning on a weekday and had the place almost entirely to ourselves.

Heidi Buhl

2020-05

This place is always fun to visit and walk around. There are informational signs everywhere! Every time I go I learn something new.They even have an active blacksmith shop with someone on staff to educate folks and answer questions. It's really neat!They also have some little shops where you can stop and get snacks, food, cold/hot drinks, and ice cream!This State Park has so much history, it's really lovely.

Angie Burkett

2022-05

What a wonderful way to spend the day with your family!We had SO much fun walking the trails, wandering through the museum, exploring by the river, and enjoying all of the incredible views. Absolutely beautiful!

Julie Sandum

2020-05

Beautiful, peaceful, and informative! Take a trip back in history to the gold rush days. There is still a blacksmith on site. You can learn about so many things and see how people lived in the 18 and 1900’s. Take your furry family (dog) for a walk along the trail or the river too. Be sure to bring your doggy clean up bags because many people use these trails. Then just enjoy your day soaking up some history and thanking your lucky stars we have it so mich easier these days!!

James M

2020-05

Cool place. Make sure you bring exact change for the self serve pay stations. I was there in the winter and there was ample parking. Volunteers throughout the place giving information and showing life in the mining camps. There is a path around the entire area and goes up a hill to the statue monument of Marshall. Worth the hike up. Gold panning for the kids and small cafe for the adults plus a museum at the welcome center. I think the daily use is $8/vehicle.

Andres Solis REALTOR (myplacercountyhome)

2023-08

Make it a day there’s so much to view. Something new I learned was the story of Hiram Young. Check out his display at the wagon exhibit.