Swimming Holes in Bidwell Park: The Best Spots to Cool Off in Chico

Sycamore Pool

Update Aug. 7, 2026: Sycamore Pool is cur­rent­ly under a no-swim advi­so­ry until fur­ther notice.

Locat­ed just a mile upstream from Down­town Chico, Sycamore Pool at One Mile Recre­ation Area is the most acces­si­ble swim­ming des­ti­na­tion on Big Chico Creek.

The expan­sive 1920s-era con­crete basin is a ​“liv­ing pool” filled by the con­tin­u­ous­ly flow­ing waters of the creek. Sur­round­ed by Low­er Bid­well Park’s idyl­lic tree canopy and grassy fields, it ensures that no mat­ter how hot it gets in Chico, the ever-flow­ing creek will cool you off.

• The Vibes: A pop­u­lar, kid-friend­ly local favorite with a clas­sic, vin­tage com­mu­ni­ty pool feel.
• Ameni­ties: Pic­nic areas, horse­shoe pits, restrooms, and a snack shop.
• Life­guards: Gen­er­al­ly on duty dai­ly between Memo­r­i­al Day and Labor Day (except Thurs­days, when the pool is drained for cleaning).
  • Note: Staffing is sub­ject to change; please check the cur­rent year’s staffed hours before visiting.
• Near­by Attrac­tions: Caper Acres play­ground is just a 10-minute walk away, and the Chico Creek Nature Cen­ter is less than 10 min­utes away by car.

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Five Mile Recre­ation Area

Five Mile Recre­ation Area in Mid­dle Bid­well Park is the tran­si­tion­al area between the urban atmos­phere of Low­er Park and the more rugged Upper Park. This is where Big Chico Creek exits the Sierra/​Cascade Foothills and enters the Sacra­men­to Valley.

Because the water here is wider, shal­low­er, and calmer than upstream, it’s a favorite for fam­i­lies with younger children.

• The Vibes: Pic­turesque pedes­tri­an bridges and mature ripar­i­an wood­lands pro­vide plen­ty of shade.
• Ameni­ties: Restrooms, drink­ing water, and open pic­nic areas.
• Near­by Attrac­tions: Less than a 10-minute walk to Hook­er Oak Park, which fea­tures two play­grounds and ball fields.

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Alli­ga­tor Hole

The first des­ig­nat­ed spot in Upper Park, Alli­ga­tor Hole is a tame and pleas­ant stop along the pedes­tri­an-only Yahi Trail, espe­cial­ly in the sum­mer when Big Chico Creek’s flow relax­es. Its shal­low waters and close prox­im­i­ty to park­ing make it a great des­ti­na­tion for young hikers.

Fea­tur­ing a small grav­el beach with excep­tion­al views look­ing up toward the South Rim, Alli­ga­tor Hole is the per­fect spot to cool off one last time after a hot hike.

• The Vibes: A gen­tle, relaxed creek­side oasis that pro­vides a quick, fam­i­ly-friend­ly cool down.
• Get There: Locat­ed only 0.75 miles from Park­ing Lot E at Horse­shoe Lake. Enjoy the short trek along Upper Park Road and the Yahi Trail.

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Day Camp

Named for a for­mer camp on the site, this is one of the eas­i­est swim­ming holes to access in Upper Park. A sun­ny sand and peb­ble beach is just steps away from Park­ing Lot H, and the Yahi Trail pass­es right by it.

• The Vibes: Sun-drenched beach with easy trail access.
• Ameni­ties: A restroom is avail­able at Park­ing Lot H.
• Get There: Park at Lot H for the eas­i­est access to the water, or Lot E to enjoy a hike in. It’s rough­ly 1 mile from Horse­shoe Lake via the Yahi Trail or a quick trip on bike via Upper Park Road.

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Bear Hole and Diver­sion Dam

Bear Hole is where the land­scape trans­forms into a jum­ble of shiny black vol­canic basalt, offi­cial­ly known as the Love­joy For­ma­tion. Bear Hole is one of the most icon­ic fea­tures of the park, fea­tur­ing deep, sparkling pools con­nect­ed by rush­ing chutes of water and strik­ing Love­joy Basalt.

It just takes one vis­it to dis­cov­er why Bear Hole is one of the most talked about fea­tures of Bid­well Park.

• The Vibes: A sun-drenched nat­ur­al play­ground of smooth vol­canic rocks and deep basalt pools.
• The Hike: From Alli­ga­tor Hole, Bear Hole is about a mile upstream along the Yahi Trail. It’s also pret­ty easy to find your way to Bear Hole from Upper Park’s Mid­dle Trail or Low­er Trail.
• Safe­ty Warn­ing: Just upstream is the old Diver­sion Dam where addi­tion­al pools can be found. Cur­rents here can be decep­tive­ly strong, espe­cial­ly in win­ter and spring. Always scout the water before jump­ing in.
• Get There: If Upper Park Road is open past Horse­shoe Lake (Tues­day through Sat­ur­day with good weath­er), you can park at Lot K or L. Oth­er­wise, most peo­ple park at Lot E and hike in.

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Salmon Hole

For those will­ing to trek deep­er into the canyon, Salmon Hole offers a sense of seclud­ed wild­ness that the low­er pools can’t match.

While the final approach is steep­er and more rugged than oth­er spots on the creek, the effort is reward­ed with one of the largest and most scenic nat­ur­al pools in the park that is sur­round­ed by oak groves and steep cliffs. You’ll often see rock climbers on the steep rock walls nearby.

Beyond the main swim­ming area, you’ll find sev­er­al hid­den side-pools tucked into the rocks for an even qui­eter escape.

• The Vibes: Dra­mat­ic canyon pool sur­round­ed by steep cliffs and wild scenery.
• Get There: Park at Lot L for a half-mile hike along the Yahi Trail. If Upper Park Road is closed (Sun­days and Mon­days), park at Lot E and get ready for a 2.5‑mile trek.

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Brown’s Hole

As the most remote des­ig­nat­ed swim­ming hole in Bid­well Park, Brown’s Hole offers a true wilder­ness escape for those will­ing to go the distance.

The loca­tion fea­tures two long, slen­der pools framed by thick stands of oak and lush ripar­i­an green­ery. Just above the pools, a small water­fall spills into a qui­et swim­ming area with a nice grav­el beach, mak­ing this an ide­al spot for those seek­ing max­i­mum soli­tude and a break from the crowds.

• The Vibes: Com­plete canyon soli­tude, with a qui­et beach and a hid­den waterfall.
• Get There: Brown’s Hole sits just under 2 miles upstream from the Diver­sion Dam (Lot L) along the Yahi Trail, or 3.5 miles from Horse­shoe Lake (Lot E) via Upper Park Road. Insid­er short­cut: When Upper Park Road is open to vehi­cles, a spur trail con­nects down to the water from the old park­ing area at Lot S.

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Where can I find trail maps for Upper Bid­well Park?

Use the Offi­cial Bid­well Park Map to stay on des­ig­nat­ed trails and plan your return to the park­ing lot before sun­set. Upper Park trails can be tech­ni­cal and intertwined.

Get the map:

• Upper Bid­well Park
• Low­er Bid­well Park

Are dogs allowed at the swim­ming holes?

No, dogs are not allowed at offi­cial­ly des­ig­nat­ed swim­ming holes, but they are per­mit­ted at oth­er areas along the creek.

Are there any oth­er dog-spe­cif­ic guidelines?

Rules for dogs in the park vary depend­ing on where and what time you’re in the park:

• Low­er Park: Dogs may roam off-leash from 5:30 AM to 8:30 AM dai­ly; leash­es are required at all oth­er times.
• Upper Park (North Side): Off-leash activ­i­ty is per­mit­ted north of Upper Park Road if dogs remain under reli­able voice control.
• Upper Park (South/​Creek Side): Dogs must remain on a leash at all times south of Upper Park Road.

What footwear should I wear in the creek?

Wear stur­dy water shoes. Flip-flops are unsafe on the slip­pery basalt rock and in mov­ing water.

What pre­cau­tions should I take for sun, snakes, and plants?

• Sun safe­ty: Bring water and sun­screen for intense Upper Park sun exposure.
• Poi­son oak: Watch for thick growth year-round along creek banks and shad­ed trails like Yahi Trail.
• Rat­tlesnakes: Watch your step on sun­ny rocks and trail edges dur­ing spring and summer.

Is alco­hol allowed in Bid­well Park?

No. Alco­hol is pro­hib­it­ed through­out Bid­well Park.

What are the rules regard­ing salmon in Big Chico Creek?

Big Chico Creek pro­vides spawn­ing grounds for fed­er­al­ly pro­tect­ed salmon.

• Avoid dis­turb­ing deep, cool pools where fish rest, espe­cial­ly dur­ing spring and fall.
• Pick a dif­fer­ent swim­ming hole if salmon are present, and check local reg­u­la­tions before visiting.

• From Sacramento/​Redding: Take High­way 99 to Chico.
• To Sycamore Pool (One Mile): Exit west on Hwy 32, turn right on Cypress Ave, and enter the park at the five-way intersection.
• To Five Mile: Exit east on Hwy 32, turn left on Bruce Rd, and right on Cen­ten­ni­al Ave.
• To Upper Park: Exit east on East Ave from Hwy 99 to reach Upper Park Road.