Highway 99 Road Trip: Trade the Interstate for the Scenic Route

Taste Award-Win­ning Wines at an Abbey

Start your trip in Vina at New Clair­vaux Vineyards. This isn’t your typ­i­cal tast­ing room; it’s a Roman Catholic abbey where Trap­pist-Cis­ter­cian monks part­ner with fifth-gen­er­a­tion wine­mak­er Aimée Sunseri.

• What to expect: Award-win­ning wines and a peace­ful atmosphere.
• Don’t miss: The his­toric chapel and the on-site bookstore.
• Get­ting there: From Hwy 99, turn west onto Vina Rd. Fol­low the signs past the end of the pave­ment to the tast­ing room.

Fuel Up at a Clas­sic Road­side Diner

Head south into North Chico for lunch at CJ’s Last Chance Din­er. It’s the per­fect first stop for com­fort food, offer­ing every­thing from hearty brunch plates to mas­sive BBQ sand­wich­es and burgers.

Relax in Bid­well Park

After lunch, stretch your legs in Low­er Bid­well Park. Flat, shady, and easy to nav­i­gate, it’s the place where the city’s ener­gy mel­lows out under a mas­sive canopy of oaks. It’s less of a city park, and more of a nat­ur­al escape right in the mid­dle of town. 

• Cool Off: Sycamore Pool, a con­crete swim­ming hole built right into Big Chico Creek, is the cen­ter­piece of the One Mile Recre­ation Area. On hot days, make sure to take a dip. Cold and refresh­ing, it’s a local rite of passage. 
• Park­ing: Use the lot at the One Mile Recre­ation Area off Val­lom­brosa Way for the eas­i­est access.

Explore Down­town Chico

Down­town Chico is a walk­a­ble hub of inde­pen­dent shops and local flavor.

• Shop Local: Vis­it Made in Chico for goods craft­ed by local and region­al makers.
• Explore Some­thing Unique­ly Chico: Stop by Bird in Hand to see the Nation­al Yo-Yo Muse­um, home to the world’s largest work­ing wood­en yo-yo.
• Din­ner Picks: Down­town has plen­ty of deli­cious options for your next meal; these are just a few of our favorites
  • Burg­ers and Brew: Local taps and giant burgers.
  • Gogi’s Café: Tasty fast-casu­al Indi­an cui­sine with plen­ty of veg­an options.
  • The Grill: A refined surf-and-turf expe­ri­ence at Hotel Diamond
  • 5^th Street Steak­house: A high-end local favorite for a more for­mal meal.

There are plen­ty of places to stay in Chico, no mat­ter what your budget.

Grab a Morn­ing Roast

Chico takes its cof­fee seri­ous­ly. Start your morn­ing at Sto­ble Cof­fee for a rooftop view of down­town, Day­camp Cof­fee for in-house roast­ed cof­fee and deli­cious menu offer­ings in Meri­am Park, or Cof­fee Ranch for a robust break­fast menu to go with your latte.

Taste the Boun­ty at a Farm­ers Market

If your trip falls on a Wednes­day or Sat­ur­day, don’t miss Chico’s Cer­ti­fied Farm­ers Mar­kets. It’s the eas­i­est way to expe­ri­ence the incred­i­ble vari­ety of the region’s harvests.

• Wednes­day Mar­ket: Locat­ed at 30 Plaza Way, right near the highway.
• Sat­ur­day Mar­ket: Locat­ed at 2^nd and Wall Street in the heart of Down­town Chico.
• What to find: Local pro­duce, fresh breads, flow­ers, and live music. It’s the per­fect place to grab road trip snacks.

Vis­it Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ery and Taproom

You can’t pass through Chico with­out stop­ping at the leg­endary Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ing Co.

• Drink: Sam­ple small-batch brews you can only find at the source.
• Eat: The Tap­room serves high-end pub fare, much of it sourced from their own on-site garden.
• Tour: Book a tour in advance if you want a behind-the-scenes look at their world-class facility.

Step Back in Time in Gridley

Con­tin­ue south to the Gri­d­ley Muse­um. Housed in a 1909 bank build­ing, this spot is pure nos­tal­gia. You can walk through a ful­ly fur­nished turn-of-the-cen­tu­ry den­tal office and browse local his­to­ry exhibits that tell the sto­ry of rur­al Butte County.

Authen­tic Mex­i­can Din­ing at Casa Lupe

A few blocks away, Casa Lupe Mex­i­can Restau­rant has been a North­ern Cal­i­for­nia sta­ple since 1968. This fam­i­ly-run mar­ket and restau­rant serves fresh tor­tillas and sal­sa made daily.

• Sun­day Savories: If you’re here on a Sun­day, get there ear­ly for their famous carnitas
• Sweet Stop: Grab con­chas and oth­er Mex­i­can sweets from the bak­ery right next door any day of the week.

Sun­set at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

End your jour­ney at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. This 9,100-acre expanse is a pop­u­lar stop along the Pacif­ic Fly­way and a favorite of bird­watch­ers and photographers.

• The Views: A flat, easy loop trail offers stun­ning views of the Sut­ter Buttes (the world’s small­est moun­tain range) on the horizon.
• Tim­ing: Vis­it between Novem­ber and Feb­ru­ary to see mas­sive migra­tions of snow geese. Any time of year, the sun­set reflects beau­ti­ful­ly off the expan­sive wetlands.
• Get­ting there: Take Sycamore Street to Colusa High­way head­ing west, take a right on Pen­ning­ton Road, and a left onto Ruther­ford Road.

Rejoin­ing the Interstate

From Gray Lodge, it’s a sim­ple one-hour dri­ve south on High­way 99 to recon­nect with I‑5 near the Sacra­men­to Inter­na­tion­al Airport.

Whether you stay in Sacra­men­to or con­tin­ue to your final des­ti­na­tion, we hope you enjoy the sou­venirs and mem­o­ries from your time in Butte Coun­ty. Remem­ber to explore more off-the-beat­en paths on your return trip.