Watch the Frogs Jump in Calaveras County

Perry Montoya on Apr 6, 2025

Visitors to the high California hills of Calaveras County during the third weekend in May have quite a treat in store. This is when Frogtown, USA, comes to life with the annual Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jump Jubilee.

Mark Twain put Calaveras County on the literary map with his 1867 essay, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Clemens' iconic story came after a seemingly unprofitable time he spent in Angels Camp in the heart of the gold rush ranges of Calaveras County. Since 1928, Calaveras has made its own mark celebrating Twain and this effort with a yearly fair and frog-jump competition.

We arrived early enough to include a visit to the must-see Angels Camp Museum, a true delight. It held every minute of our attention for the better part of a day while bringing us up to speed on the history of this Western mecca. We also saved ample time to shop and eat in town. We dined at a local favorite, the Pickled Porch Cafe.

I always seem to get "Vacation Brandi" (my wife and travel partner for the past 32-plus years) to do a few new and uncharacteristic things while on a trip. This time, while at the Pickled Porch, she couldn't resist the heavenly pickled beets that capped a fresh and hearty meal. She did not even wince when she said, "It taste like sweet dirt!" I call that a win.

We stayed in town at the convenient, clean and economical Best Western Cedar Inn and Suites. Away from town and traffic, we also tried upscale options on both sides of Angels Camp. To the immediate southwest toward Copperopolis we felt both secluded and pampered at the WorldMark Angels Camp by Wyndham. Up the mountain we also loved our stay at the Dunbar House Inn in nearby Murphys, which included a personal made-to-order breakfast at the quaint yet amenities-filled B&B.

Murphys and surrounding areas are the gateway to even more adventure in the High Sierra foothills. If you go, take time to relax, have a drink and even (though I feel apologetic in saying it), order frog legs at The Lube Room. Save your time and appetite along the highway to stop for amazing homemade apple cider doughnuts at The Red Apple. But don't head up or down the mountain without at least a day to play among the giants at Calaveras Big Trees State Park and to shop around town in Murphys' many boutique and emporium-style shops.

Save another part of a day when heading back toward Angels Camp to venture deep below ground. Another "Vacation Brandi" win this trip was getting her (even with her apprehensions of heights and enclosed spaces) to descend the 235 steps -- 144 of those on a vintage spiral staircase reportedly constructed of metal from a World War I battleship -- into the famed Moaning Caverns.

You are heading now into California's gold country. Come for the fair, come for the demolition derby (the activity mentioned most by locals during our stay), come for the rodeo, come for the natural wonders, come for the history -- but come. We came for the frogs.

When we were there, 86-year-old Lillian Fasano won the frog-jump competition with a combined 20 feet 5.5 inches (in three consecutive jumps) from her champion hopper known as The Frog Father. It was heartwarming for us to listen from the stands as her grandchildren cheered her on just prior to her prize-winning attempt: "Go get 'em, Grandma!" And lest you think it's all in the years and wisdom for a "frog jockey" to have a chance to win, a 5-year-old won in 2022 with a 19-feet-0.25-inch effort from his croaker.

In the conclusion to "The Innocents Abroad," Twain wrote, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

If you're itching to leave your little corner, come to Calaveras County. You haven't fully enjoyed California until you have experienced the frog-jumping contest in May.

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WHEN YOU GO

This year's frog-jumping contest in Calaveras County, California, will be held from Thursday, May 15, to Sunday, May 18.

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Perry Montoya is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.