The word June is derived from the Roman mythological goddess “Juno” meaning young. This month is all about long sunny days providing ample opportunities to get outside. It’s also a perfect time to leave a city like San Francisco or New York and visit the charming towns and countryside in Nevada County. One of the easiest ways to ensure you’ll have a blast is to plan a road trip around a festival. Here’s a small sampling of things to do in June alongside its outdoor adventures.
Celebration Of Trails
Month of June
If you love the trails in the Bear and Yuba watersheds of California’s Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains, this event is for you. Every year, the Bear Yuba Land Trust plus other trail advocates kick off the summer with the Celebration of Trails. Up first from June 1st – 26th is the Summer Star Hike Challenge. Throughout 20 of Bear Yuba Land Trust’s hiking trails, there will be 20 hidden stars hanging from trees. Using the Star Map, visit as many different star locations as possible and win exciting prizes and celebrate your local trails! Register here to be entered for the challenge. Then on June 28th from 4-8 PM, Bear Yuba Land Trust will end the Celebration of Trails month with a family-friendly FREE Street Party in downtown Nevada City. Enjoy live music and meet local recreation partners that are helping protect / defend natural lands.
Truckee Pride Week
June 1st – 8th
Creating an inclusive community in a mountain town isn’t always easy—but Truckee is something special. Now in its second year, Truckee Pride is back with a week-long celebration of diversity, love, and unity in the mountains! The festivities kick off Sunday with the Rainbow Run, and all week long, local businesses are joining in with fun events—like the always-popular Sparkle Bike Night at RMU. For the full lineup, check out Visit Truckee-Tahoe’s Pride Week Guide and join the celebration!
Learn moreRough & Ready’s Secession Days
June 1st
There’s a lot of history within the boundaries of Nevada County as seen via our Interactive Cultural Assets Map. One celebration that brings the wild and rambunctious history to life is the Rough & Ready Secession Days. This event celebrates the three months in 1850 where the town of Rough and Ready stood alone in secession from the United States. Known at that time as the Great Republic of Rough and Ready, it ultimately voted itself back in. The weekend includes activities such as a chuckwagon breakfast inside the Fire Station, a chili cook-off, and the popular melodrama “The Saga of Rough and Ready.”
Learn moreHumbug Day
June 14th
Celebrate the 57th annual Humbug Day at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park! This fun “hometown homecoming” brings Gold Rush history to life with costumed interpreters, historic buildings, and hands-on activities. Dress in late 19th-century attire and join the world’s shortest parade—register here. Try gold panning, candle dipping, tin punching, blacksmithing, lace making, and more. A great day for history lovers and families alike!
Learn moreFather’s Day Bluegrass Festival
June 12th-15th
What started in 1976 on a flatbed truck in an empty field headlining local bands has grown into one of the premier bluegrass festivals in the nation. The four-day event at the Nevada County Fairgrounds has become “bluegrass city.” This includes a row of food vendors, luthiers (artisans that custom manufacture instruments like banjos and mandolins), and three stages filled with national touring bands as well as emerging California artists. If you’re a fan of music, this event is a MUST go.
https://californiabluegrass.org/cbaevent/fathers-day-festival/Nevada City Film Festival
June 20th – 22nd
Voted as of the “Coolest Film Festivals in the US” by Moviemaker magazine. Nevada City Film Festival is nominated as one of the ten best film festivals by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel awards. This award-winning festival is chock full of award-winning independent, international short, and feature length films across its three days in June. It also hosts visiting filmmakers participating in Q&A’s, workshops, and talks. Then to finish it all off, there are happy hours and after-parties, outdoor screenings, and so much more. As Matt Damon would say, “How ‘bout them apples!”
Learn moreSierra Storytelling Festival
June 27th & 28th
Upcoming writers, actors, playwrights, travelers, jugglers, and what social scientist Brene Brown would call ‘wholehearted people’, this should be on your things to do in June bucket list. For more than three decades, the Sierra Storytelling Festival held every June has hosted award-winning, multilingual artists, whom you may have heard on NPR, as a voice in a film, or seen in a filmed theatre production. Bringing people to the Nevada County region from San Francisco and all Northern California, this event became known as the “queen of Storytelling Festivals” due to the quaint setting, literate audience, and attention to detail.
Truckee Tahoe Gravel
June 28th
We couldn’t highlight things to do in June without mentioning one of the newest and most exciting bike races in the area – Truckee Tahoe Gravel. Started in 2018 by 3x world road racing champion Peter Sagan. Choose from three great routes. The 30 which is actually 25.4 miles, the medium has now upgraded to a 66.1-mile course, or the long course which now stretches to over 101.9 miles. Throughout the whole weekend, expect live music, beer, local cuisine, and even a vendor expo. A full weekend of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Learn moreWhen it comes to things to do in June, Nevada County is where it’s at. Combine these festivals with outdoor fun like mountain biking, and you’ll be sure to start the summer off right.
