Why You Want to Visit Sonora, CA

I love the California Gold Country and Sonora is right in the middle of it. About an hour from Merced and a little less from Modesto, this is a great town to stay in while you visit nearby attractions. It’s close to several golf courses, rivers and lakes for water sports, has an interesting downtown area, many historic buildings and a large variety of motels, hotels and B & B to stay in. You can also enjoy hiking, mountain biking, gold panning, visiting cavern and horseback riding.

There is a weekly Farmer’s Market in the summer, a flea market at the fairgrounds every Saturday and Sunday year round and a four day county fair every July. There is a film festival every year along with a large popular Christmas craft fair every Thanksgiving Weekend. And plenty of other annual events all year long.

Sonora is only at about 2000 foot elevation but it can get pretty cold in the wintertime and I remember getting there about midnight one night when my crafting partner and I had to get out to leave our trailer at the fairgrounds – it was about 29 degrees. I also recall a winter morning when I glanced out the motel window to see snow falling. I quickly packed up and left – I enjoyed my Sunday brunch that day in Merced instead of in Sonora. The summers are beautiful – hot, yes but the nights cool down pretty well and you only have to head east of town a bit to find cooler places to spend the hot summer days. On a cool summer evening, just a few miles above Sonora, we lit a fire in the cabin we were renting for the week-end – it was mid July aand it was cold.