Butte County - 37 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Butte County

Butte County is a place of natural beauty with countless opportunities for recreation in both rural and urban environments.

Types of Attractions in Butte County

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Butte County

North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve

North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, is a beautiful mesa above the city of Oroville that serves up a jaw-dropping spring wildflower bloom, breathtaking Northern California waterfalls, and a chance to hike through a truly unique natural area just outside of Oroville. The reserve protects and preserves the rare Northern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools, a vernal pools habitat type that supports sensitive plants and animals that are either locally endemic, or endemic to California.

One Mile Recreation Area

One Mile Recreation Area is located in Lower Bidwell Park. has a large pool, named the Sycamore Pool, with Big Chico Creek running through it. The area offers a large grassy area with many big shady trees, picnic tables, barbecues, drinking fountains, restrooms, walking trails, horseshoe pits, and the nearby sycamore field and Caper Acres Playground. This area is an excellent site for birthdays, family reunions, baby showers, social gatherings, and many other events.

Oroville Chinese Temple

Oroville Chinese Temple

Museums

Chinese Temples

This is a museum and active temple that showcases the history of the Chinese community in Butte County and Northern California, starting during California's Gold Rush and into the early 20th century. The Chinese Temple is a unique piece of California's cultural heritage and should be on every Butte County visitor's itinerary.

Oroville Dam

Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville. it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serves mainly for water supply, hydroelectricity generation and flood control. The dam impounds Lake Oroville, the second largest man-made lake in the state of California,

Oroville Wildlife Area

Oroville Wildlife Area

Outdoors- Other

The Oroville Wildlife Area is over 11,000 acres of riparian woodland habitat along the Feather River and grasslands around the Thermalito Afterbay. Warm water fish species can be found in the numerous dredger ponds and the Thermalito Afterbay. Wildlife species seen in the area include coyote, badger, fox, bobcat, porcupine, osprey, white-tailed kite, egrets, woodpeckers, and warblers.

Paradise Lake

Paradise Lake

Lake/ River/ Ponds

A beautiful lake that covers an area of 244 acres and is surrounded by beautiful wooded land and has a shoreline of 7.5 miles. It is one of two reservoirs which stores water for the community of Paradise. Because it is water supply for the public, it is strictly regulated.The lake is open daily, except for Wednesdays, from 5 am to sunset daily for biking, hiking, walking, fishing from shore or by boat.

Phantom Falls

Phantom Falls

Waterfalls

Also called as coal canyon falls. This is a waterfall near Oroville, California which is 166 feet high. A small pool at the bottom is home to a California newt subspecies. As a seasonal waterfall, Phantom Falls runs only during the rainy months, late autumn to early spring.

Poe Dam

Poe Dam is a concrete gravity diversion dam on the North Fork Feather River, about 5 miles north of Lake Oroville in Butte County, California in the United States. The dam diverts water through an 6.3-mile tunnel to the 120 megawatt Poe Powerhouse, located on the upper reaches of Lake Oroville. The powerhouse has a rated hydraulic head of 477 ft , generating about 500 million kilowatt hours annually.

Riverbend Park

A beautiful park which provides year-round river access, open lawn and miles of scenic paved and unpaved paths with riparian conservation areas for local wildlife. A dog Off Leash Area with river access can be found in the neighboring gravel lot on the east side of the park. It is also a very popular summer destination for river floating and summer events; expect limited parking and a high volume of trail and river use traffic during warm summer days or Old Mill events.

South Rim Trail

South Rim Trail

1 Day Treks

Annie Bidwell Trail is a 3 mile popular blue singletrack trail located near Chico California.The Trail starts off with short, punchy climbs up to the rim of the canyon, and follows with a steep, rocky downhill. At the bottom, you’ll enjoy a nice meadow and several swimming opportunities, followed by more climbing and drops, making it a moderate-to-challenging trail.

Stansbury Home

Stansbury Home

Iconic Buildings

This is a Victorian home built by Dr. Oscar Stansbury in 1883. The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and in 1991 was listed as supporting the South Campus Historic District. The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and in 1991 was listed as supporting the South Campus Historic District.

Sycamore Pool

Sycamore Pool

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Sycamore Pool is a beautiful outdoor swimming facility was built on Big Chico Creek at the One-Mile Recreation Area of Bidwell Park in Chico. The water comes from the mountains and at first it's cold, but once you relax it's comfortable. This body of water travels through the town out to the Sacramento River. There are tile depth markers every six feet or so along the pool’s edge. The lifeguard chairs look original, but that is uncertain. A bridge across the dam was built later.

Table Mountain

Table Mountain

Viewpoints

Outdoors- Other

1 Day Treks

Adventure Sports- Other

Mountain Peaks

North Table Mountain and South Table Mountain are two prominent basaltic mesas overlooking the city of Oroville, California. In the scientific literature, both mesas are also known as North Oroville Table Mountain and South Oroville Table Mountain in order to differentiate them from the Table Mountain. They are named for their flat surface, like a tabletop; because of this it is often mistakenly called Table Top Mountain.

Thermalito Afterbay

Thermalito Afterbay

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Boating Spots

Thermalito Afterbay, a diversion pool downstream of Lake Oroville, is another option for boaters and paddlers. With 17 miles of shoreline and 4,300 surface acres of water, the Thermalito Afterbay is open for boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking, and limited hunting. No-wake speed limits before and after sunset allow for peaceful paddling, swimming and fishing.

Thermalito Diversion Pool

Thermalito Diversion Pool

Man-made Structures- Other

The Thermalito Diversion Pool, in tandem with the Diversion Dam, serves to create a tailwater pool for Hyatt Powerplant, just around the bend to the East, at the base of Oroville Dam. The diversion pool also acts as a forebay when Hyatt Powerplant is pumping water back into Lake Oroville, as well as provides recreation opportunities.

Thermalito Forebay

Thermalito Forebay

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Thermalito Forebay is a day use area featuring cool, clear water from Lake Oroville and located in low rolling foothills, with scenic views of Table Mountain to the east. features 300 surface acres of water, a 200-yard swimming area with a sandy beach, and plenty of shade. There are men's and women's dressing rooms, flush toilets, a drinking fountain, and a disabled-accessible fishing pier.

Map of attractions in Butte County

Comments

For more information about Butte County, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butte_County,_California