Located in California's picturesque Gold Country and spectacular High Sierra, Calaveras County offers a huge variety of stunning geological features, historic and agricultural settings for your production. Wide valleys, deep canyons, caves, lakes, giant sequoias, ghost towns and boutique wineries are just a few of the many features here.

The history of the area has contributed a great deal to its visual appeal. Originally settled by Miwok Indians, the area is a haven of lakes, streams, mountains, valleys and forests. When California's Gold Rush hit here in the heart of the Mother Lode, the landscape was changed by people from every corner of the world as they settled in hastily established camps in search of their fortunes.

Preserved Gold Rush towns, mining ruins, hydraulic mining and wooden flume systems rerouting water supplies permanently changed this rural landscape. Some of those settlements have remained to this day with their period architecture making charming historic downtowns with boutique shops, fine dining and wine tasting rooms. Others have fallen into ruin and are virtual ghost towns.

As the gold supply began to diminish, the people who'd discovered this place made more discoveries: of giant sequoia trees, caves and beautiful vistas. Along with outdoor recreation, they found other ways to entertain themselves including telling tall stories and betting on anything and everything. It was into this atmosphere that an adventurous young man arrived, and overhead a tale of frog jumping in the Angels Hotel.

That young man was Samuel Clemens and the story developed into his first successful short story that propelled him to fame as Mark Twain. "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras," published in 1865 was the inspiration for the annual Jumping Frog Jubilee which takes place in Angels Camp every May, attracting in excess of 50,000 people. Meanwhile, other forms of entertainment were arising locally, including the annual Calaveras County Fair, the longest running state fair in California. Eventually those two events were combined, while other festivals and events sprung up around the county.

As even hard rock mining became harder work with fewer and fewer rewards, settlers had discovered that agriculture was especially productive here due to soil rich in minerals, making the decision to make Calaveras their permanent home a possibility. This resulted in one of California's earliest winemaking regions.

To this day, Calaveras' geological attractions, elevation changes from near-sea level to over 8,000 feet , historic features and Mediterranean climate make Calaveras County a major tourist destination for those looking for authentic California. This also makes it a prime filming consideration. With four distinct seasons featuring huge displays of wildflowers and blooming dogwoods in spring, spectacular fall colors and snowy winters, Calaveras county is your go-to filming destination, and we'll help you every step of the way.