Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

Great experience beautifully maintained park at the original site of 1848 gold strike

An amazing park at the location which sparked the California gold rush! We learned to pan for gold and found some too! The museum and surrounding exhibits are so informitive and we left having gained lots of knowledge about the gold rush and the different cultures that camr to the area because of it. A great day trip for families with children!

Great place to learn about the California Gold rush. The Museum is small but excellent. We walked up to the monument which was a perfect short hike for kids. The river is gorgeous.

Great Historical Park. Highlights the gold rush history of California and how it all began. There is a lot of places to enjoy having picnic lunch. They have a beautiful restaurant that has fresh food that brings together the flavors of California together harmoniously. Beautiful area to walk around to enjoy the scenery as well. The picnic areas are shaded. They have bathrooms available. The staff are really friendly.

We enjoyed the visitor center. We first watched the film to get an overview of what happened. The museum in the visitor center helps interpret the facts. I was surprised how many books and items were in the gift shop. We mainly visited the Marshall monument on the hill and then the Sutters Mill down below from the visitor center. You can get right down to the water and enjoy nature. Nice quiet place to take a picnic.

Excellent historical park with lots to do and discover. Has all the elements and experiences of the gold rush era and has interactive elements as well. We love being part of the Coloma Community Market between November and April. Great vibes!!

This is a beautiful spot to walk and explore. I went early and it was a great experience.

It’s a great historical site, in a great setting. Start at the Museum and work your way to the other spots. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the grounds thinking about the chaos that this discovery created. Very interesting and informative.

What a neat place to learn about California history. Pretty area too. Our tour guide, Ed, who is the park historian, was fantastic. Learned so much from the tour. Great place to sit under a nice shady tree and have a picnic lunch too.

Had a great visit with our family today. Definitely time your trip to take the tour. They offered it at 11am & 1pm from the souvenir shop. We also did a gold panning lesson where we all enjoyed finding small flakes of gold. It was fun to learn about the history of the area and the beginning of the gold rush. Lots of walking paths to the different exhibits. We had a satisfying lunch at the cafe. In all, we spent about 5 hours there. Definitely a great day!

Took a group of friends from Ireland 🇮🇪 who were quite interested in California history. They truly enjoyed the hours we spent in the park. I was pleasantly surprised to find everything open on Monday January 2 the observed holiday for New Years. Museum, gold panning, blacksmiths shop, all available. If you’re looking for something fun and educational be sure to tour this place.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Park is a five-star gem! Its historical inscriptions offer an immersive journey into the Gold Rush era. As a pet owner, the plentiful water fountains for my dog were a thoughtful touch. This park seamlessly blends history, nature, and pet-friendliness, making it a must-visit in California.

Beautifully preserved, educational, pet friendly, and the location of the first gold discovery site. There's a $10 parking fee, and everything else is free

On a weekday in late winter, the park was mostly quiet and very easy to navigate while socially distancing. There were great views of the rivers and some short trails that we checked out with my preschooler. We didn't venture into the village area but enjoyed driving by the old school house and post office. Practical tips, there was no soap in the bathroom seemingly right after it was serviced, so bring your own for any stops. They also have an unmanned booth right now so use a cash envelope system for parking so bring $10 and a pen!

Great place to have a family hike, see indoor and outdoor historical artifacts, bring a picnic basket and have lunch, visit museums, and pan for gold. There is so much to do here, we weren't able to see everything in the time allotted. There are parking lots for a reasonable fee or one can park street side but that could be a bit risky. There are plenty of picnic tables all over the place. The gold panning has a $10 fee per person panning and has a time limit of about 45 minutes, there is a brief instruction on how to pan for gold by one of the State park rangers or volunteers. Kids liked this gold panning the best. We'd come back here again.

Lots of fun! Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. Both adults and kids (ages 9 & 7) had a great time. Loved the gold panning lessons. Museum was really neat to learn a little about history. We also enjoyed visiting the recreational gold panning area at the river. Dogs were allowed at the river, just not in the buildings. We didn't have enough time in our plans to visit everything but would recommend you save time in your trip to walk around!

The park improves all the time- the new “Mormon” cabin, where the man actually recorded the gold discovery date is pristine- fun to know how this place came to be. .

Such a great place to take the family for some fun. From cooking dough on a stick to panning for gold. Great experience for the adventurous soul!!

A fun place to learn about the discovery of gold in California in 1848.

Beautiful area❤🐾🌲 Educational, Love History 🇺🇲