Overland
Some people traveled across the United States just to get gold! They would walk with their wagons through deserts, over mountains, and most people who made it to the gold rush had only the clothes they had on when they started with everything they owned! This journey would take about 7-10 months and it would cost $150-$175 dollars for a guide and enough food and water to get to California. It cost the least of the 3 main routes to California.
Isthmus of panama
Many people traveled from New York through the Isthmus of Panama and then up to California. this would usually only take 4 months and was the shortest route to California. But crossing the Isthmus of Panama would be very dangerous. There were lots of dangerous animals and there so many mosquitos that some people died from having so many mosquito bites! And once you crossed the Isthmus a ship would sometimes pick you up. But, sometimes after the ship dropped you off on one side it would travel around Cape Horn and most of the time it wouldn't make it to the other side to pick you up and most people would star e to death waiting. This cost about $300.
AROUND CAPE HORN
Traveling around Cape Horn was the longest and most expensive way to California. It was very dangerous because there were many storms around Cape Horn and many ships would get washed away or since it was really cold there a lot of people died of hypothermia. A lot of the time the ship captains would bring the wrong food aboard and it would get stale or moldy and people would die of food poisoning. This journey would take 6-12 months and cost $250-$350. About 60% of the ships sunk though.