Jamestown is on Highway 108 about 130 miles east of San Francisco — roughly a 2.5-hour drive via I-580 and the Central Valley. From Yosemite Valley it is about 90 minutes via Highway 120 and Highway 49.
There is no rail or scheduled bus service. The town is three miles southwest of Sonora, the Tuolumne County seat, which serves as the regional hub for groceries, services and motel accommodation. A car is essentially required for the Gold Country — distances between the historic towns are short but the connecting public transit is minimal.