When it reaches Briceburg, the road follows the Merced River through its magnificent canyon. As you pass under a huge rock arch near the park's entryway, the canyon becomes narrow and steep, as the river moves swifter and louder. Within a few minutes you're at the floor of Yosemite Valley. Within 12 years, over 500 ramshackle mining towns were born along the famed Mother Lode, a rich, gold-bearing quartz vein. The region stretched from Melones, near Sonora in the south, all the way up to Auburn in the north.
Autumn is the most popular time to visit the rust tones of fall leaves are a sight to remember.
Knight's Ferry On the Stanislaus River just off Highway 108-120 is the tiny town of Knight's Ferry, halfway between Modesto and Columbia Historic State Park. William Knight settled the area in 1843 and ferried gold seekers across the river until 1854 when the Knight's Ferry Covered Bridge was built. The bridge still stands today near the new Knight's Ferry Visitor's Center. It's also home to Railtown, the Sierra Railway Depot with a 26-acre roundhouse and shop complex. Railtown steam engine trains give 1 - 2 hour rides into the foothills on weekends, April through November.