Downieville is not exactly the Bay Area but you can drive to it from the Bay Area in about 3.5 – 4 hours. That counts, right?

A few weeks ago Celia and I and a group of mountain biking friends headed to Downieville for a mini vacation. Downieville is famous for it’s Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race. Downieville is one of my favorite places. I LOVE Downieville. I go there at least once every year.

Downieville is a beautiful small town located on the Yuba river in Sierra County.  It’s a total escape for me to get away from my fast paced Bay Area life style and just simply relax for a few days. The town of Downieville is also very dog friendly. Poncho had a great time swimming in the river. He literally spent hours in the river.

My favorite thing to do in Downieville is to go to the beach and just chill by the river. Sometimes, I even get in the river although it is a tad bit cold for my taste. However, I do enjoy floating on the river on my inner tube. Other people like to mountain bike, fish or pan for gold.

We always stay at the Downieville Riverside Inn.  We love it there, the inn keeper’s Mike and Nancy are super friendly and the place is very nice. The Inn is located right on the Yuba River so you can hear the river rushing by when you are falling asleep. The room we stay in has a balcony right over the river and also comes with a kitchen. Breakfast is included and is served in a living room. Every morning we sit around living room chatting with Mike, Nancy or some of the other guests while drinking delicious fresh brewed coffee and eating bagels with lox and cream cheese.

I usually go to Downieville the first week in July so I am there for the 4th of July celebrations. They have a small town parade on the 4th that is so much fun. Here are some pictures from past years.

The best part of the parade is at the very end when they roll out a big giant roll of plastic bubbles and everyone steps on them at the same time. It sounds exactly like a big firework show.

The locals of Downieville have always been super welcoming and fun to hang out with. They are even up for some friendly competition in the tug-o-war (locals against visitors) and the foot races.

There are only a few options of places to eat in Downieville: the Grubstake and the Pizza Place.  There is also an Ice Cream shop and a a small local market for groceries that has a cafe in the back of the store. I noticed a new restaurant called the Wooden Trout Cafe just opened within the last year as well. I did not get a chance to try it but heard it was good. If you stay at the Riverside Inn and get a room with a kitchen you can cook there or use their BBQ.

If you are looking for a fun, relaxing and friendly place to escape to I highly recommend going to Downieville and staying at the Riverside Inn.

The Riverside Inn is located right on the river at:
206 Commercial Street
Downieville, CA
888.883.5100
downieville.us