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Unincorporated Outdoor Adventurer Boating Camping Fishing Hiking Rafting / Kayaking

Explore Sly Creek

June 08, 2026 (Originally published September 30, 2019)
2025 05 19 EBC Sly Creek 16 Web EDITED

Tucked away in the east­ern cor­ner of Butte Coun­ty, Sly Creek is a pop­u­lar spot for campers, anglers, and flat­wa­ter boat­ing enthu­si­asts. Part of its trea­sure is its remote­ness, which requires vis­i­tors to enjoy a scenic dri­ve through foothill com­mu­ni­ties and the Plumas Nation­al Forest.

The cen­ter­piece of the recre­ation area is the 562-acre Sly Creek Reser­voir. Sur­round­ed by conifer-lined shores under bright blue skies, the water is a beau­ti­ful emer­ald hue; fall will bring even more col­or as the oaks and big-leaf maples turn yellow.

Note: Before vis­it­ing, make sure to check Alerts and Notices on the Plumas Nation­al For­est web­site for clo­sure information.

Know Before You Go

Road Con­di­tions: The road to Sly Creek is excep­tion­al­ly bumpy; small­er cars or low-clear­ance vehi­cles may strug­gle to make the trip.

Camp­ground Avail­abil­i­ty: Camp­grounds do not take reser­va­tions and oper­ate strict­ly on a first-come, first-served basis. Plan a week­day vis­it or arrive ear­ly, and always come with a back­up plan in case no spots are available.

Leash Laws: Dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet at all times while in devel­oped recre­ation areas and on inter­pre­tive trails.

Leave No Trace: Help keep Sly Creek clean and pris­tine by pack­ing out all trash and leav­ing the space bet­ter than you found it.

Boat­ing, Float­ing & Fishing

From fast-paced motor­ized boat­ing to qui­et pad­dling, Sly Creek Reser­voir accom­mo­dates a vari­ety of water activities: 

  • The Lost Creek Arm: Ide­al for water­ski­ing, wake­board­ing, and tour­ing by boat. A con­crete boat launch near Sly Creek Camp­ground allows quick access for motor­ized vessels.
  • The Sly Creek (Straw­ber­ry) Arm: Des­ig­nat­ed as a 5 MPH no-wake zone for motor­ized boats, this sec­tion is a favorite des­ti­na­tion for kayak­ing, canoe­ing, and stand-up pad­dle­board­ing. A small launch for non-motor­ized ves­sels is locat­ed near the Straw­ber­ry Campground. 
  • Fish­ing: The reser­voir is a prime spot to catch rain­bow trout, brown trout, and koka­nee salmon from a boat or along the shore, so make sure to bring your fish­ing poles.
Explore Sly Creek
@georgiaraebaggs

Camp­ing

There are two dis­tinct camp­grounds tucked into the Sly Creek Recre­ation Area: the Sly Creek Campground and Straw­ber­ry Campground .

Both loca­tions oper­ate strict­ly on a first-come, first-served basis, are open sea­son­al­ly from May through Sep­tem­ber, and cost $20 per night.

There is a 14-day max­i­mum stay lim­it enforced across both loca­tions. Select sites can accom­mo­date trail­ers up to 22 feet in length, but note that no hookups are pro­vid­ed on-site.

  • Sly Creek Camp­ground: The larg­er of the two options (30 units) with prime oppor­tu­ni­ties for lake­side camp­ing. This loca­tion includes drink­ing water and garbage ser­vice. While the camp­ground is sea­son­al, the adja­cent boat ramp remains open year-round.
  • Straw­ber­ry Camp­ground: A small­er, qui­eter retreat (17 units) nes­tled in a forest­ed area along Sly Creek. This site fea­tures vault toi­lets and puts you right next to swim­ming, fish­ing, and near­by OHV rid­ing trails.
  • Know Before You Go: Check in with the Plumas Nation­al For­est Feath­er Riv­er Ranger Dis­trict (530−534−6500) to con­firm the camp­grounds are open before mak­ing the trek.

Direc­tions & Access

Because cell ser­vice is unre­li­able in the canyon, save these turn-by-turn direc­tions before you head out:

  • From Oroville (and points north): Exit High­way 70 at Oro Dam Boule­vard and trav­el east on High­way 162. After about 8.5 miles, turn right onto Forbestown Road and con­tin­ue for 14 miles to the com­mu­ni­ty of Forbestown. Con­tin­ue onto Chal­lenge Cut­off Road for 3 miles, then turn right onto La Porte Road. You will pass through the com­mu­ni­ties of Woodleaf and Clip­per Mills; look for the Sly Creek Recre­ation Area sign after about 10.5 miles.
  • To reach Sly Creek Camp­ground & Motor­ized Launch: Turn left at the recre­ation sign onto the paved access road and con­tin­ue for 4 miles to the Sly Creek Dam. The boat launch and camp­ground are locat­ed just past the dam.
  • To reach Straw­ber­ry Camp­ground: Con­tin­ue past the main recre­ation sign, trav­el­ing east on La Porte Road for anoth­er 3 miles through the com­mu­ni­ty of Straw­ber­ry Val­ley. Turn left at the camp­ground sign and fol­low the 1.5‑mile access road to the sites.
  • From the South: Turn left onto Low­er Hon­cut Road from High­way 70. Low­er Hon­cut Road meets La Porte Road after 5 miles. Turn left onto La Porte Road and fol­low it straight for 31 miles until you hit the main Sly Creek Recre­ation Area sign.