A must-visit in these parts is Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, located28 miles northeast of Nevada City. Once the world’s largest hydraulic gold mine, it’s an awesome (some say environmentally disturbing) spectacle of hydraulic mining: Nearly half a mountain has been washed away by powerful jets of water, leaving behind a 600-foot-deep canyon of exposed rock. In the 1870s, North Bloomfield, then located in the middle of this park, had a population of 1,500. Some of the buildings have been reconstructed and refurnished to show what life was like then. The 3,000-acre park also offers several hiking trails, swimming at Blair Lake, and 30 campsites that can be reserved through ReserveAmerica (800/444-7275; www.reserveamerica.com). The museum is open daily in summer from 11am to 4pm, on winter weekends the museum opens at 11:30am. To reach the park, take Highway 49 toward Downieville for 11 miles. Turn right onto Tyler-Foote Crossing Road for 17 miles. Turn right onto Derbec Road and then right on North Bloomfield Road, which takes you to the park entrance. The fee is $6 per car, $5 for seniors.