Chico

Be sure to bring your swimming costume when you visit Bidwell Park, a surprising find in the inviting university town of Chico in the north-eastern part of the state. At an impressive 3,670 acres, Bidwell is one of the largest city parks in the United States. Much of Upper Bidwell (west of Manzanita Avenue) is hilly, rugged and wild, while Lower Bidwell (east of Manzanita) tends to be flatter. Stop by for an overview of the park and a visit to the Chico Creek Nature Center, where you can learn about native plants and wildlife and also check out the Janeece Webb Living Animal Museum, which is located inside.

Now that you’ve got your bearings, hire some wheels at Campus Bicycles and head for the Annie Bidwell Trail, a moderate 4.7-mile circuit that hugs the southern bank of Big Chico Creek in a quiet section of Upper Bidwell. Nearby is Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park, where you can take a first-come, first-served tour of the 19th-century, 26-room Italian Villa-style home. As the residence of city founders Annie and John Bidwell, the ornate structure saw visits from guests such as President Rutherford B. Hayes, General William T. Sherman, Susan B. Anthony and John Muir.  After your ride and if the weather is warm enough, take a leap into Sycamore Pool, a gargantuan concrete-lined 3-acre pool that was formed from Big Chico Creek in the 1930s. Located in the centre of the town, the pool is shaded by its namesake sycamores and has five lifeguard stations and a roped-off section for children. Admission is free.

What do you have a taste for? Olive oil? Wine? Or the freshest summer produce? Because with an agricultural heritage dating back well over a century, Butte County is a major agritourism destination.

For a terrific overview of county agriculture, follow the Sierra Oro Farm Trail, as it meanders through the county visiting everything from the Earthworm Soil Factory to the New Clairvaux Vineyard, where Trappist-Cistercian monks carry out their order’s nearly 1,000-year-old winemaking tradition. A great time to explore the farm trail is during the annual Passport Weekend in October.

Oroville is considered the birthplace of California olive production. With several spots along the farm trail for olive oil tasting, including the historic Lodestar Farms and the third-generation Bamford Family Farms, you’ll find premium extra virgin olive oils and can learn about Butte County’s unique role in the industry.

With the tree-ripened satsumas at the Tri-L Mandarin Ranch and premium varietal chestnuts at Harrison’s California Chestnut, the county is a true cornucopia. At the Pedrozo Dairy & Cheese Co., you’ll find traditional smallholding cheeses, including favourites such as the creamy Black Butte Reserve, and you can tour the facilities as well. Or for almonds, walnuts and an assortment of gourmet items from a local farm that has been in operation since 1875, stop into the Sohnrey Family Foods gift shop in Oroville.

Thanks to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, Butte County is better known for its craft beer than its wines. But from the foothills down to Durham, the county’s wineries are gaining acclaim to the point where The Sacramento Bee newspaper has asked, 'Will Butte County be the next big thing in winemaking?'

Find out for yourself at leading county wineries such as Durham’s Almendra Winery & Distillery, where you can not only enjoy wine flights but also a gin made from local almonds, lavender and mandarins. Oroville’s warehouse chic Purple Line Urban Winery makes a full-bodied Petite Syrah from grapes grown in the Sierra foothills. Then again, if you’re more into ciders than Syrah, Chico’s Cellar Door Cider has a tasting room where you can discover its French-oak-barrel-aged ciders handcrafted from Northern California apples.

When it comes to outdoor recreation, Butte County is one of California’s best-kept secrets. Ranging from the floor of the Central Valley into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and home to such major destinations as Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, as well as the birding opportunities at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, the county is a haven for hiking, mountain biking and whitewater rafting.

You don’t have to go far from the county’s major cities to reach stunning natural scenery. Just outside Oroville, Table Mountain at North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve is a must-visit for its spring wildflowers and to see a waterfall that plunges down the plateau’s face. Table Mountain also makes a great cycling destination along the Table Mountain Loop, a road route that you can follow from either Oroville or Chico.

While the lower reaches of Chico’s 3,670-acre Bidwell Park feel like a traditional city park, its upper section extends all the way into the foothills, where Big Chico Creek flows through a rugged canyon and a 70-mile trail network is open to hikers, cyclists and horse riders. For even higher elevation adventures, hike a portion of the famous Pacific Crest Trail to 2,160-metre Humboldt Peak near Butte Meadows. From the summit, the spectacular views take in Lassen Peak and a glimpse of Mount Shasta.

Both the North Fork and the Middle Fork of the Feather River offer outstanding whitewater paddling for kayaking and rafting, especially on the federally designated wild and scenic Middle Fork’s 32 miles of Class V rapids. And a walk along the Feather Falls Scenic Trail in Plumas National Forest leads to views of the dramatic, 195-metre Feather Falls on the Fall River, one of the Middle Fork’s tributaries.

Near Oroville, the lower section of the Feather River lures fishermen with one of California’s largest steelhead runs and a sizable population of striped bass, while its upper reaches are a prime destination for rainbow and brown trout. Along the valley floor about six miles west of Chico, Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park is another top fishing spot, with steelhead, salmon and enormous sturgeon. You can also walk through the park’s riparian forest and nothing beats a lazy canoe paddle or raft trip on a summer's day.