Actually, Coloma and Lotus lie in a river valley in the Sierra foothills, at an elevation of only about 750 feet. If heat is a potential problem for you, you might want to check our climate information. Otherwise, bring your heart on up for some relaxation along the river!

Although it varies from year to year, the south-facing slopes above the American River start blooming as early as late February. Initially you will just see a golden blush on the hillsides; the bloom increases over the next two months, usually peaking in April. In a dry year the blooms will be gone by early May, but with good rains they will continue longer.

You can see the earliest blooms from the river if you put in at Chili Bar. And from Hwy 49 a few miles south of Coloma, you can catch a view of the golden hills. Be careful while driving as the shoulders are narrow! But there are a few places you can pull over and get a good look.

Starting a bit later the poppies appear on Mt. Murphy as well, which is easily visible from Marshall Park in Coloma. If you want to get closer, you can head across the one-line bridge in Marshall Park (turn east from Hwy 49 on Bridge St.). If you go straight ahead you will be on Mt. Murphy Road; if you take the first right after the bridge (not into Coloma Resort but the road just after it) you will be on Bayne Road, which leads upstream along the South Fork. Both will lead you closer to the poppy fields, but be forewarned that they are steep, narrow, bumpy, rutted roads. You may want to skip this unless you are in a Subaru or other 4WD vehicle!

No, actually it was the other way around. Both Coloma, Wisconsin, and Coloma, Michigan, were named after our own Coloma because of its role in the California Gold Rush.

The Native Americans who originally lived in this area, known as the Nisenan, called this valley "Cullumah." It is said that this translated to "beautiful vale" though that may be only a romantic notion. When the settlers arrived they changed the name to "Coloma."

Coloma has two historic cemeteries: St. John's Catholic Cemetery on Cold Springs Road near Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Pioneer Cemetery, on Bassi Road near Lotus Road. The El Dorado County cemeteries page of the CAGenWeb genealogy project lists all known names, birth and death dates for both cemeteries.

We get this question a lot! Cypress Lawn cemetery is in Colma, not Coloma. Colma is located south of San Francisco, California, and many well-known San Franciscans are buried there. Check the Cypress Lawn web site or Colma Tales, a wonderful web site that explains why Colma has so many cemeteries. If you are looking for the gravesite of a famous person, try Find-a-Grave.

Our most local newspaper is the Mountain Democrat, which covers western El Dorado County. Another informal ways to keep in touch with goings-on in the Coloma area is the Coloma-Lotus News mailing list.