Gold Run Rest Area West Bound

Camp Review

• This rest area was a bit further off the highway than most rest areas (unlike Gold Run Rest Area East Bound), which meant it was a bit quieter.

• The parking spaces were decently level, and we hardly noticed the slight tilt to the front of the car.

• The bathrooms were clean and well stocked.

• We had 10+ empty parking spaces in both directions, which was a nice luxury.

• Like all rest stops in California, the time limit for staying at one is 8 hours.

What I Learned

• It looks like this rest stop used to have vending machines, but the only thing left was leftover wood used to hold the machines in place. I doubt I would have bought something, but I’m sure others would appreciate the options.

 

What Happened?

We were visiting Grass Valley and wanted a place where we could crash for a night. There were national forests nearby, but I wanted somewhere safe and easy to roll in/out of, so we just headed to this rest area.

The parking lot was pretty empty, and the way they designed the parking lot meant that we were able to find a spot further from the road, which helped to reduce road noise. This ended up not mattering much as it rained most of the night, which meant that all we heard through our earplugs were the pitter-patter of the raindrops hitting Ramona’s roof.

The bathrooms were great, we brushed our teeth in peace, and we were able to refill our water bottles from the water fountain in front of the bathroom. In the morning, we headed off to Grass Valley for life adventures.