Overview
Murphys is an old gold-mining town in Calaveras County within the Gold Country region of California. The town has been a tourist destination since the late 1800s due to its proximity to the giant sequoia trees in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Today the walkable main street offers a number of wine-tasting rooms, restaurants, and tourist-friendly shops while providing an "old-timey" feel that hearkens back to the Gold Rush days.
2 sights · 1 things to do · 4 places to eat · 3 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Murphys
Mercer Caverns
Mercer Caverns is a show cave located 1 mi north of Murphys. It is named after the gold prospector Walter J. Mercer who discovered the caves around 1885 and filed a claim. The caverns have a large number of speleothems, …
Murphys Old Timers Museum
This small museum has exhibits on the local Gold Rush history and the native Miwok people who once lived in the area.
Murphys Irish Day
Held annually on the third Saturday in March, the Murphys Irish Day festival attracts thousands of visitors to celebrate the town's Irish heritage. Main Street fills with booths offering arts and crafts, a parade is held…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 93°F; winter lows dip to about 32°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jan and Feb. (climate data from nearby Sonora)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SCK Stockton Metropolitan Airport, Stockton — 46 mi away. Directions
- MCE Merced Regional Macready Field, Merced — 59 mi away. Directions
- SMF Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento — 72 mi away (major hub). Directions
Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $50–$95 a night (typical $95), from 3 listed prices.
- Typical meal: about $11 per person at listed restaurants.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$80, mid-range ~$150, comfortable ~$220.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Mercer Caverns, Murphys Old Timers Museum
- Lunch Murphys Historic Hotel Restaurant
- Afternoon Murphys Irish Day
- Dinner Firewood
- Evening Tanner Vineyards & Wines
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
In 2010, the town was home to 2,200 people.
See
See Mercer Caverns
Mercer Caverns is a show cave located 1 mi north of Murphys. It is named after the gold prospector Walter J. Mercer who discovered the caves around 1885 and filed a claim. The caverns have a large number of speleothems, stalactites, and stalagmites. It is formed in a marble unit known as the Calaveras Formation. It also contains a large display of aragonite frostwork. Tours last about 45 minutes, covering a total distance of approximately 0.25 mi and descending to a depth of 161 ft below the surface. There are 208 steps while descending into the cavern and 232 steps while ascending, the equivalent of a 16-story building. The cave remains a constant temperature of 55 F; visitors should wear a light jacket and comfortable walking shoes. There is also a visitor center and store on site.
Do
There are three golf courses, tennis, fishing, hiking, gold panning expeditions, white water rafting, shopping, winter skiing at Bear Valley plus summer water skiing on New Melones Lake.
Do Murphys Irish Day
Held annually on the third Saturday in March, the Murphys Irish Day festival attracts thousands of visitors to celebrate the town's Irish heritage. Main Street fills with booths offering arts and crafts, a parade is held featuring bagpipes, horses, marching bands, and classic cars, and musicians, dancers and jugglers entertain throughout the day.
Eat
Eat Firewood
Pizza, tacos, burritos, hamburgers, ribs.
Drink
Murphys is becoming a rival to some Napa Valley towns for vineyards and wineries, with more than a dozen tasting rooms located along Main Street, and vineyards located just outside of town.
Drink Bodega Del Sur Winery
Tasting Room for fine wines. One of the award winning wineries in the area
Drink Ironstone Vineyards
Ironstone Vineyards is one of the largest wineries in the country in terms of cases sold; in 2004 it ranked as America's 17th largest. The vineyards offer wine tasting, estate tours, gardens, weddings, concerts, corporate events, a gourmet deli, wine caves, and a jewelry shop.
Drink Tanner Vineyards & Wines
Tasting Room and Wine Patio where wine & food pairing go hand in hand, often with live music. Active, very popular wine-centric events. Known for their estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre, Barbera and a signature red blend Mélange de Mere. Discover a new white with their Vermentino Viognier blend.
Sleep
Stay Murphys Historic Hotel
Opened in 1856, this hotel has hosted guests including President Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain. Today the historic hotel offers a saloon, restaurant, and nine hotel rooms with shared bathrooms including the Grant suite, which is available for non-guests to visit. There are also twenty modern rooms in separate buildings that include in-room bathrooms and most amenities that today's travelers expect. Guests in the historic hotel should be on the lookout for the establishment's friendly ghost "Eleanor". Parking is available on-site for guests.
Go next
- - Angels Camp is a Gold Rush town where Mark Twain overheard a tale that inspired his short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"; today the town hosts a "Jumping Frog Jubilee" every May that draws thousands of visitors. Visitors will also enjoy the historic downtown and find amenities including several hotels and restaurants. Attractions located just outside of town include the Natural Bridges trail, a 2 mi hike through two short but spectacular limestone caverns that have been carved out by Coyote Creek, as well as the Carson Hill ghost town, a former mine where a 195 pound troy gold nugget was unearthed in 1854.
- - Arnold is a tiny town that offers supplies, restaurants and lodging for visitors to the giant sequoia groves of neighboring Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The town is also the starting point for the Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway, a 61 mi stretch of Highways 4 and 89 that leads through incredible mountain scenery as it crosses over 8736 ft Ebbetts Pass, one of the Sierra's least-traveled mountain passes. Additionally, Arnold is home to a 7 acre logging museum that has indoor and outdoor exhibits of large logging equipment and artifacts.
- - This 6,498-acre park preserves two groves of giant sequoia trees, with the easily-accessible north grove home to approximately 100 trees, while the more remote south grove is home to about 1,000 trees. It has been a tourist destination since 1852 and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California. A campground is available from March through November.
Nearby
Angels Camp
City / town · 25 listings · 6 mi away
Columbia
City / town · 8 mi away
Arnold
City / town · 4 listings · 10 mi away
Sonora
City / town · 9 listings · 11 mi away
Jamestown
City / town · 13 listings · 13 mi away
Twain Harte
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Mi-Wuk Village
City / town · 7 listings · 16 mi away
Jackson
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