Highway 49 Drive: Self-Guided California Gold Rush Tour

26 Ratings

Auburn

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Embark on a self-guided audio tour along Highway 49 in California’s Gold Country. Discover the history of the Gold Rush and explore charming gold rush towns at your own pace.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Auburn - This self-guided driving tour passes through the gold rush towns of Auburn, Placerville and Coloma.

What's Included

VoiceMap App for Android and iOS
Lifetime access to this tour in English
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata

What's Not Included

Food/Drink
Smartphone and headphones
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Transportation

Additional Information

Explore California’s historic Gold Country with an affordable audio tour from Auburn to Placerville.
• Discover the history of the California Gold Rush as you explore the gold rush towns of Auburn, Placerville, and Coloma, where gold was first found in January 1848
• Listen to stories from producer Lynn Momboisse, a California native with a talent for…

Location

1650 Lincoln Way

Lincoln Way

Starts at 1650 Lincoln Way, Auburn California. Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.2

(26 Ratings)

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Laura_m

Apr 19, 2026

worth it - Once I found the beginning point (program won't let you start until you are EXACTLY at the location), it was great! GPS tracked me the whole way and the narrative led me to spots I would have never found by myself. Definitely recommend, thank you.

Review provided by Viator

Dani_r

Nov 1, 2025

Fabulous Exploration of Gold Mining Territory - Start to finish this audio tour was easy to follow, wonderfully informative and articulated for the entire journey.

Review provided by Viator

Patricia

Aug 8, 2025

Gold Country Drive - Finding the starting point in Auburn was frustrating. But after we finally located it, the trip was wonderful. Lovely drive. Lots of interesting places to stop and visit. Be sure to spend time in Placerville.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Rhondasj8510dy

Jun 24, 2025

Auburn to Placerville-Great Trip! - The tour was very informative and the directions were great. Was able to pause when needed or stop and start up again after a lengthy visit in Coloma.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lorren_r

Apr 9, 2025

Scenic Auburn to Placerville drive - This audiotour made it easy to experience a beautiful back country drive and learn the history of the area at the same time.

Review provided by Viator

695reneeb

Aug 31, 2025

HWY 49 - Aurburn to Placerville - Nice drive, good points of interest. Lots to explore at the start location City of Auburn and end point, City of Placerville. Right at Placerville this time of year, apple & grape harvest. You have to explore Apple HIll, everything apple and many boutique wineries to visit. Shout out to High Hill Ranch, the Best Apple Pies !

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Richard_s

Aug 27, 2025

Great tour - Great tour and full of interesting facts. I did struggle to find the start as no parking but once we got going all ok. Good to be able to stop and start the tour. It a very good way to learn as you go.

Review provided by Viator

Global750721

Feb 27, 2025

Scenic, informative drive - Software wasn’t perfect as far as knowing your location but I fast forwarded to the close location. It was interesting and we enjoyed the audio and beautiful drive.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Y7250gcjoanneb

Apr 24, 2026

Frustrating, did not help us enjoy the trip. - We are seniors and not tech savy so it was very frustrating. The app kept giving me "app permission denied" and "location unavailable" We wasted almost one hour trying to get to the exact location to start. I could not even force the start. We drove around the block about 3 times trying to get the app to connect. We decided to forget the app and just drive Hwy. 49 on our own. We finally found the highway and the app "magically" started. There was a lot of history at the beginning some of which I thought was unnecessary. Also the background sound effects were very distracting.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Vanessa_o

Apr 29, 2025

A very distracting tour - Too many winding roads and traffic. Construction/ road work was taking place and had cars including myself back up for about a half a mile. Not my ideal tour.

Review provided by Viator

Check Availability

From $15

(Per Vehicle)

From $15 (Per Vehicle)

up to 15 guests

1 - Traveler