Located in the eastern-central valley of California, encompassing the foothill and mountain terrain of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Calaveras County is a paradise of western gold rush history and scenic beauty. Famous writers such as Mark Twain and Bret Harte lived a short while here and wrote about the events of Calaveras County. Mark Twain's "Jumping Frog" made Calaveras famous and the tradition continues to this day during the Calaveras County Fair & Frog Jump Jubilee (always the 3rd weekend in May).

Small highways run through the towns and climb up the Sierra Foothills to Ebbetts Pass, which at over 8,000 feet elevation, has much to offer the seeker of good things: Quaint historic towns, the biggest trees on earth, swimming holes along the Stanislaus River, a dazzling high country of granite rocks, lakes and pines, and a fine summer festival of music at Bear Valley in August.