Amador County, California

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park is a California State Park, preserving an outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes—the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America. It is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, 8 miles (13 km) east of Jackson. The park is nestled in a little valley 2,400 feet (732 m) above sea level, with open meadows and large specimens of valley oak that once provided the Miwok peoples of this area with an ample supply of acorns. The 135-acre (55 ha) park was established in 1962 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The native name for the site is "Chaw’se", the Miwok word for "grinding rock". Upon this rock they ground acorns and other seeds into meal, slowly forming the cup-shaped depressions in the stone, which can still be seen today. Along with the mortar holes, the main grinding rock within the park features a number of petroglyphs: circles, spoked wheels, animal and human tracks, wavy lines, etc. Some of these carvings are thought to be as much as two or three thousand years old and are now becoming difficult to discern. This association of rock art and bedrock mortar pits is unique in California. Except for one other small site, Chaw'se has the only known occurrence of mortars intentionally decorated with petroglyphs.

Pine Grove is a census-designated place in Amador County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2513 feet (766 m). The population was 2,219 at the 2010 census. It is located at 38°24′47″N 120°39′32″W, along State Route 88. The community is in ZIP code 95665 and area code 209. The current boundaries of Pine Grove include the former mining towns of Clinton and Irishtown. The town also is home to Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park. A post office opened in Pine Grove in 1856.

Volcano (formerly Soldier's Gulch and The Volcano) is a census-designated place in Amador County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2,070 feet (631 m). The population was 115 at the 2010 census. It is located at 38°26′35″N 120°37′51″W, just north of Pine Grove. The town is registered as a California Historical Landmark. The community is in ZIP code 95689 and area code 209.

The St. George Hotel in Volcano, Amador County, California. It was built in 1867, after the two previous hotels (the Empire Hotel and the George Hotel, originally built as a boarding house in 1852) burned. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.It is a three-story brick hotel with 14 hotel rooms, reflecting Greek Revival influence. It faces west onto Main St. (now also known as Pine Grove–Volcano Road). Its 1983 National Register nomination asserted that it was "the most impressive building" in town, and that it appeared "much the same ... as it was in 1880, thirteen years after it opened."

Fort John is a former settlement and mining location in Amador County, California, briefly populated in the 1850s. It was located on the South Fork of Dry Creek, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Volcano. Fort John was named for John Stuart.A church and schoolhouse, reportedly the first in what would become Amador County, were built as early as 1850-51. The church was Methodist Episcopal and built by P.Y. Cool. The site thrived for about a year, but when the mining in Volcano proved better, the site was largely abandoned, with only minor activity after that. Some miners and residents remained later in the decade. An 1857 story said that Fort John "retains more of the signs and characteristics of old Forty-Nine times than any other place in this section of California. You behold the log-cabin, with canvass roof; the clapboard palace with mud chimney emitting the savory perfumes of burnt slapjacks and beans straight, not forgetting the bountiful supply of oro that lines the pockets of the 'honest miners.' Everyone is proficient in the mysteries of poker and old sledge ..."By 1881, a county history book reported only one resident there, who "seems to have staid to point out the site of the former town, and relate to occasional visitors the glories of the ancient days." Yet, the Mining Bureau still had the site listed as of 1954.

Pine Acres is an unincorporated community in Amador County, California. It lies at an elevation of 2684 feet (818 m).

Mount Zion Demonstration State Forest is located in the town of Pine Grove, Amador County, California, United States. It features a ranger lookout station and microwave tower atop Mount Zion, which is accessed via Mount Zion Road from California State Route 88.

Irishtown (also, Irish Town) is a former settlement in Amador County, California, United States. It was located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-southwest of Pine Grove, at an elevation of 1972 feet (601 m). The townsite lies within the boundaries of Pine Grove. Irishtown is a former Miwok settlement.

Red Corral is a census-designated place in Amador County, California. Red Corral sits at an elevation of 2710 feet (826 m). The 2010 United States census reported Red Corral's population was 1,413.

Clinton (formerly, Sarahville, Sarahsville, and Lincoln) is a small town in Amador County, California. It is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Pine Grove, at an elevation of 1972 feet (601 m). Clinton was the center of a placer mining community during the 1850s and of quartz mining as late as the 1880s. This town once decided Amador County elections as its votes were always counted last. Clinton is registered as a California Historical Landmark. A post office operated at Clinton from 1856 to 1859. Nowadays, Clinton is a picturesque little town made up of an assemblage of homes and historic buildings around the center of town. It has a population of about 45.

Jackson Rancheria is the landbase for the Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people, located near Jackson, California. It is located in Amador County, about midway between Jackson and Pine Grove. The reservation operates the Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort, located on its territory.

Pioneer is a census-designated place in Amador County, California. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) east-northeast of Pine Grove, at an elevation of 2986 feet (910 m), along State Route 88. The community is in ZIP code 95666 and area code 209. The population was 1,094 at the 2010 census. Pioneer Station, built approximately 1925, is located in Pioneer however, it was never a Pony Express stop, a popular fallacy. It was a general store selling gas, water, and offering camping sites. The old Pioneer Station still stands and is currently a private residence. A post office opened in Pioneer in 1947.