The United States Forest Service states that all mining operations, including gold panning, are illegal along the East Fork; however, as mining and prospecting are a historic relic of California's heritage, enforcement of the mining laws is infrequent and gold panning continues along this stretch of the road (which offers easy access to the river). Some of the sites of the area's mining heritage can be accessed from the road by visiting the site of "Eldoradoville", a mining town with three stores and six saloons that was established in 1859 and washed away in the flood of January 18, 1862.