Worldmark Angels Camp, is it really far from Napa Valley?

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

I reserved a week for our son and his wife to stay at this resort because I thought it was in wine country, which is actually part of the name of the resort. But I asked a Worldmark owner about it and he said it is far away from Napa Valley, at least 1 1/2 hours.

I am feeling pretty guilty about the exchange at this point and am wondering if others have been there and if I really goofed?

Please be gentle.

[Bill4728 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Bill4728]

Angels Camp is nowhere near wine country. Napa is north of Oakland. Angels Camp is about 30 miles east of Stockton which is 45 miles southeast of Napa.

The Worldmark resort nearest to wine country (Napa & Sonoma) is Clear Lake which is 20 miles or so north of the far north end of the Napa valley. It also is not near the city of Napa but it is not too far to many of the northern wineries in the napa valley.

PS the best WM resort for wine country is the new Solvag resort. It not near the Napa wine country but right in the middle of the "Santa Barbara wine country" which was made famous in the film "Sideways".

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Per Mapquest, at least 2 1/2 hours apart.

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

What month did you reserve?

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

I have it reserved for December 1st through the 8th. I got them some frequent flyer reservations into Sacramento on Frontier. Wow, I feel like a goof. Jeremy kept telling me that Riverpointe at Napa Valley would be okay and I saw some of those, but he stayed there before and was not that impressed with the little trailer-looking buildings, so I was trying to get him something different.

When I looked at Worldmark's site, it sure looks like a nice resort with great history surrounding it. Mark Twain was there, so lots about that fruitcake. Plus, I guess there are quite a few wineries nearby.

If the kids want to take the wine tour/train, it would still be doable for them, I think. I will just tell them it is a distance and they will just drive, I guess. Heck, they were going to drive from Denver, so that little bit of driving shouldn't bother them too much. They should have picked this out themselves, since they are both on the account with us.

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Cindy,
Angels Camp is on Hwy 49 in the foothills of the Sierras. There is some nice winerys in the immediate vacinity. Murphy's is a really neat little goldrush town just up the road on Hwy 4 with many winerys including Ironstone which is beautiful. Also the area has lots of fun goldrush era towns north & south of Angel's Camp. My favorite wine area is around Fairplay north of Angels Camp. It is at least a 2 & 1/2 hour drive to the Napa/Sonoma wine region. The Sierra Foothill wine country is not world famous but in my opinion a worthwhile vacation experience offering some fine winerys AND beautiful landscapes AND quaint towns to explore.(Of course I live in the area so I am biased ) So your boo-boo could turn out to be a better vacation than they had planned. There are some good websites for this area. info@calaveraswines.org; http://www.ironstonevineyards.com/ ;http://www.milliairewinery.com/; http://www.solomonwine.com/; http://www.stevenotwinery.com/; http://www.gocalaveras.com/; http://www.eldoradowines.org/wineries.htm
Angels in in Calaveras County & Fairplay is in El Dorado County. Yosemite is about 2 hours south of Angels Camp but could have snow by the first week of Dec.
Julie

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

I am feeling pretty guilty about the exchange at this point and am wondering if others have been there and if I really goofed?

You did not goof.
Calaveras County is one of the wonders of the Sierra Nevada there is a lot to see and do. Columbia State Historic Park is only a 20 drive from Angels Camp; you really fell like you walk back in time. Every one that works there dresses like they did in 1849, Columbia State Historic Park is the best preserved of California gold rush towns. One could spend all day there.
http://www.columbiacalifornia.com/
http://www.columbiagazette.com/miners.html

Calendar of events for December
http://www.visitcalaveras.org/htdocs...e/calendar.htm

After all there is only so many winery’s you can see then they all start to look alike. Calaveras County is full of history. By mistake you gave them a very nice gift.

I wish I was going.

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

I lived in Angels Camp in my 20s . We as locals had a secret swimming hole - named "natural bridges"... You had to know where the old cows watering trough was, park your car, walk down the canyon to a stream that ran through a cave that you can swim through. The water is very calm in the cave. Its like swimming thru Alice in Wonderland. Nowadays, there is a sign and trail you can follow. Its a good day trip - one of the hidden treasures of the Sierras. Also, ask the locals at Angels Camp about "Natural bridges" if you get lost.

Bring lots of drinking water and food..there is none down there.

Cost: Free (no admission fees)
Directions:
Follow Hwy. 4 East through Angels Camp toward Vallecito. Approximately five miles out of Angels Camp, turn right on Parrotts Ferry Rd., about one mile past Moaning Caves.

Please respect the ecology of the site - if you pack it in, pack it out!

[DDI Par Member Find all posts View Profile Close DDI Par]

Wineries near Angels Camp, etc.

Cindy:

You need not have any second thoughts about your supposed "goof", because I don't think it's a goof at all.

We stayed at Worldmark Angel's Camp in the early spring a couple of years ago and were delighted with the resort and the surrounding area. As someone mentioned above, it may be getting a bit chilly in December, but the Sierra Gold Country is generally far below the snow line and the days should be mild and (hopefully) sunny.

As far as the area being a "wine country" area, it really is. We enjoyed the small wineries in the area much more than when we have visited the Napa Valley--no crowds, you meet the proprietors and/or the winemakers, and there is generally no charge for tasting. We were often the only patrons at the several stops we made. The following website lists all of the wineries in the Sierra foothills. The wineries in Plymouth (the best), Murphys (second best) and Sutter Creek are located closest to Angel's Camp.

http://www.weekendwinery.com/Winerie...SierraGold.htm

There are a string of nice little towns to explore, as well as the very neat Columbia State Historic Park, mentioned in an earlier post. We spent many a day in the Gold Country when the kids were small, traveling back roads, staying in historic hotels. North of Angel's Camp along hwy. 49 are San Andreas, Jackson, Sutter Creek (antiques) and Plymouth (with wineries located on back roads east of town). To the south is Sonora, the largest Gold Country town, but worth the drive (15 miles south of Angel's Camp--do it in conjunction with a visit to Columbia Historic Park).

Murphys is just a 15 minute drive to the east of Angel's Camp, and is probably the most "with it" spot you'll find, with galleries, wineries, shops, antiques, restaurants

We drove up to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. There was some snow on the ground in March, and there could be snow on the ground in December, but it was a great experience. The Sierra redwoods (sequoias) are magnificent, and a highlight for anyone who has never seen them in person.

We have stayed in the Napa Valley numerous times, and if you visit there off-season and visit the wineries during the middle of the week, it is still doable. But, your "goof" is actually a "winner". Isn't it nice to know that something can turn out better than you at first suspected? Hoo-ray!

DDI Par

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

Is your son and his wife going in 2006 or 2007?

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Are they going?

Ken & DDI are so right. You have picked a great vacation for them. There is actually more to see & do within a short drive in the area than they would find in the Napa Valley. And the Worldmark location is on a beautiful golf resort that folks pay lotsa bucks to stay at in the non-timeshare townhomes. The Sierra foothills are beautiful and during Christmas season all the towns are decked out in lights. There are lots of small town festivities, too. Columbia has a restaurant that serves a full fledged Dickens Christmas Dinner that folks line up to buy tickets for in advance. If they like theater, there is a fabulous local theater in Columbia. Your son & D-in-L will have a wonderful time. Let me know if I can look into any special stuff you would like to arrange for them ahead. I think there are wine tour services and such and tickets for special events need to be purchased ahead. E-mail or PM if I can help.
Julie

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

If your son and daughter in law are thinking about gold panning in this area, there is a place in James Town that actually gives tours of panning for gold, and they have all the equipment and will give you access to their land. Additionally, any gold you find you can keep. I do not remember the name of the company, but Julie probably would know the name of the company. I think there is also an identical company in Angels Camp, which Julie would probably know as well. Like we have said earlier, this was not a mistake. They will come back with smiles on their faces.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Well, I do feel better about it. The week is less than four weeks away, the airline tickets are a done deal, the rental car is reserved.

I guess what matters is how they feel about it. I hope they have a great time. The two of them were married May 27th and spent two heavenly weeks in Mexico at Club Regina in Puerto Vallarta and Playa Del Sol Grande in Nuevo Vallarta. Hard to top those two exchanges.

[itchyfeet Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close itchyfeet]

I second the suggestion for Yosemite, but only if the weather is clear. We took friends with us one year when the weather was rainy. We couldn"t see the tops of any of the mountains! It was very disappointing. But if the weather is clear it is a magnificent sight--people from all over the world come to see Yosemite.

[JoJo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoJo]

WM in wine country

The WM closest to wine country would be Windsor, CA. Windsor calls itself the "Gateway to the Wine Country" on all it's city signs. However, this always makes me laugh, since they are SURROUNDED by wine country!