FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Phil Weidinger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Phil Weidinger

Summer 2006 Weidinger Public Relations

(775) 588-2412, or

Lisa Reynolds

Calaveras Visitors Bureau

(209) 736-0049

Rushing to Outdoor Adventure in Calaveras Gold Country

On the water, in the air or underground – outdoor recreation is major attraction

(Angels Camp, Calif.) – Adventure is no longer just about skiing a black diamond run or climbing a rock wall in the gym. In Calaveras County adrenaline junkies can choose spelunking in Moaning Cavern with chambers the height of the Statue of Liberty and rafting down Class IV white water rapids on the North Fork of the Stanislaus River. And for the moderately adventuresome, there are hundreds of miles of walking trails among giant Sequoias, fishing in numerous streams, rivers and lakes, or cruising houseboats on New Melones Lake.

Outdoor water recreation is abundant with nine public access lakes throughout Calaveras County and two major rivers, the Mokelumne on the northern border and the Stanislaus on the southern border, plus numerous streams. There’s lazing on the river, or fishing for bass in low mountain lakes and streams. Kayaks and canoes can provide a smooth, quiet ride, or kick it up a notch by jumping on a Jet Ski, or fly behind a ski boat on a wakeboard and water skis. For a real rush, take a white water rafting trip down the Stanislaus or Mokelumne River with O.A.R.S. www.OARS.com. The area is rushing with water activities.

For those outdoor adventurers enthused by what’s underfoot, the direction is down! Moaning Cavern www.CavernTours.com contains the largest vertical chamber in a public cavern in California. A 45-minute guided walking tour is perfect for the entire family, descending down 234 stairs to a depth of 165 feet. For a more direct route, try rappelling. The newly found spelunker in you can plan to spend two hours exploring deep chambers and passages in a challenging adventure. How’s the memory from that high school class: were those stalactites or stalagmites? For a visit to Middle Earth, there’s also California Cavern www.CaliforniaCavern.com, where a five-hour expedition includes an underground 70-foot rafting trip across Tom's Lake. Another area cave to explore is Mercer Caverns www.MercerCaverns.com for an entertaining guided walking tour.

Spectacular formations of another kind, the giant Sequoias, stretch over 300-feet to the sky providing inspiring sights while posing the question of significance. Hikers, walkers and casual nature lovers can follow trails throughout the forests. The county also offers over 150,000 acres of public land, and the Carson-Iceberg and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas have over 150 miles of trails that traverse varied alpine terrain.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park and the Stanislaus National Forest are recreational Meccas. Miles of fire roads with all levels of terrain are open to all cyclists, hikers, walkers and horse back riders. Road cyclists find an abundance of rides in the parks and forests and on picturesque winding roads throughout the county. The Calaveras Visitors Bureau in Angels Camp has a list of routes and trails and Gold Country Bicycle Tours offers custom rides.

When summer slides to autumn, the county boasts hundreds of miles of fall foliage trails. And in winter, Bear Valley Mountain Resort www.BearValley.com takes center stage with skiing and boarding as well as mountaineering, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, mountain tours and a terrain park for skiers and snowboarders. There are 1,280 acres of terrain on 100 runs along a 1,900 foot vertical drop. The resort accumulates deep snow and some of the finest powder and packed powder skiing in the Sierra.

Calaveras County offers winter sports enthusiasts a wonderland of opportunities from access to hundreds of miles of trails and roads for snowmobiling, backcountry skiing, snow shoeing and telemark skiing in the Stanislaus National Forest www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus.

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Calaveras County:

Located in the heart of California’s gold rush country between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The diverse landscape stretches 1,024 square miles from near sea level in the flat western valleys and rolling hills to more than 8,000 feet at the Sierra crest. The land is rich with historic sites, family farms and vineyards, forests of giant sequoias, rivers and lakes and underground caves. A vibrant arts culture thrives along with fine winemaking and all types of outdoor recreation, including fishing and boating, golf, bicycling, hiking, camping and skiing. Small, rural towns dot the landscape connected by well-maintained highways and country roads. For more information on Calaveras County as well as lodging packages, special events and other facts and figures, call (800) 225-3764 and visit www.GoCalaveras.Travel.