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Few California counties can match the natural beauty of Amador. Its lowest elevations touch the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys to the west, and its highest elevations are found in the rugged and breathtaking beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range at its eastern boundaries, where elevations exceed 8,000 feet.
Amador County encompasses 570 square miles yet its population is well under 50,000 people. It is also quite rich in history, a heritage still evident in the many silent mining structures, head rigs, tailing wheels and other artifacts that stand tall even today, a noble reminder of the county’s spirited and colorful past.
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Kirkwood Resord offers all kinds of year-round recreational
activities, one of the most popular being skiing and
snow-boarding (photo courtesy of Kirkwood Resort).
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Two major rivers bring the waters of the high country to the valley’s floor: the Consumnes River which flows along much of the northern boundary, and the Mokelumne River, which flows along Amador’s southern boundary.
The city of Jackson serves as the county seat and joins a handful of other small cities and towns such as Sutter Creek, Ione, Plymouth, Amador City (California's smallest incorporated city), Drytown, River Pines, Fiddletown, Volcano, Pine Grove, Pioneer and Kirkwood (the town), which is home to the popular year-round Kirkwood Resort.
The San Francisco Bay Area is less than two hours away, and Lake Tahoe is just beyond Amador's eastern boundary. Several ski resorts are within a reasonable drive, such as Kirkwood (photo above) which offers an 8,000' base elevation, the highest of any ski resort in the area!
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