Things to do in Arnold California with kids
Arnold, California is a beautiful hidden-gem located in Calaveras County surrounded by beautiful views, great hiking spots, Big Trees State Park, fun lakes to swim in and much more. With it only being two hours away from Sacramento, it makes for the perfect family-friendly get-a-way up into the mountains!
Where to stay:
We stayed at the @cozycabin_arnoldca. This cabin is fully stocked with all the amenities your family needs to make an unforgettable vacation.
It has two bedrooms and a full bath on the main floor, with a loft upstairs that has four more beds, an upstairs living room and bathroom. With two more blow-up twin mattresses.
The coolest part is they have an old pac man arcade game. They also provide toys, games, puzzles and a lot of baby items which make it super convenient so you don’t have to lug all that stuff around. A stroller, pack n play, baby gate, baby carrier, jumper, and a baby life vest.
The cabin also comes fully stocked with beach stuff: a wagon, 4 beach chairs, day tent, blowup boat, SUP 2 inflatable kayaks, sand toys, pool noodles and inner tubes and beach towels.
The best part is the rental has access to the Blue Lake Springs Lodge facilities, including: a pool, summer kids’ activities, lodge and workout area, Snowflake Lodge private lake, Fly-In Acres private lake, private lodge restaurant, games, BBQ area, tennis, pickleball, badminton, chess, and a basketball court. All available for an additional fees.
Use code ✨SacTownForKids✨ for 10% off your booking with Airbnb!
Link found here: https://www.airbnb.com/l/rbXiJ7Gf
What to Do:
Calaveras Big Trees State Park - This is a must-see on your trip to Arnold! It is home to the largest sequoias in the world and are truly breath-taking. There are two trails within the park; a north and south grove loop. We did the north grove loop. A flat, easy trail which is 1.67 miles and takes about 1.5-2 hours to walk around. The “Discovery Tree” and other note-worthy landmarks are found along this loop making it very entertaining for adults and kids alike.
SnowFlake Lodge & Private Lake - This is one of the perks that you get with staying at the cabin - access to the lodge and lake for an additional fee. They have a pool, tennis and pickleball courts, basketball courts, a playground, sand volleyball and family activities year-round. Our family spent all day here, it was so fun and the kids never ran out of things to do.
Fly-in Lake - Another private lake that the cabin’s HOA gets you access to. This lake is larger, we paddle boarded around and had a great time!
White Pines Lake - This lake is open to the public and free. It has a beach area, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, lots of picnic tables and shade, rope swing and a walking trail that surrounds the entire lake. Our family brought a picnic lunch and we spent another full day here, paddle boarding, swinging off the rope swing and playing at the park!
Sierra Nevada Logging Museum - located right next to white pines lake. We didn’t get a chance to visit but it looked really cool.
Downtown Murphy’s - An old gold rush town that boasts antique shops, lots of great wine tasting places, restaurants and cool places to shop.
Moaning Caverns - famous for their spiral staircase that goes down over 1,000 feet below surface level. Tours are available for booking.
The Red Apple - This is a must-stop either on your way into Arnold or out. Located right off the highway. Their apple cider donuts were so good! We also got an apple fritter, pies and some delicious fruit.
Arnold was such a fun trip, with lots of things to do with kids and the whole family, we will defiantly be coming back!!
