Your Road Trip Guide to the Feather River Canyon

Your jour­ney begins in Butte Coun­ty, where the North Fork of the Feath­er Riv­er con­verges with its oth­er forks at Lake Oroville, cre­at­ing a rich his­to­ry and a hub of recre­ation. Explore the city before offi­cial­ly hit­ting the road of the scenic byway.

The recre­ation oppor­tu­ni­ties for adven­ture are end­less at Lake Oroville, mak­ing it a per­fect start to your road trip.

With var­i­ous day use areas and camp­grounds across the city, the Lake Oroville State Recre­ation Area offers a wide vari­ety of activ­i­ties, includ­ing boat­ing, hik­ing, horse­back rid­ing, and swim­ming. You can even enjoy unique float­ing camp­sites, per­fect for a peace­ful night under the stars. The park’s many trails also pro­vide excel­lent views of the lake and sur­round­ing landscape.

At the Oroville Dam, you can explore a mon­u­ment to engi­neer­ing and a jew­el of the Cal­i­for­nia State Water Project.

The Oroville Dam is the tallest dam in the coun­try at 770 feet, and is where all four forks of the Feath­er Riv­er meet at Lake Oroville before being dis­trib­uted to the entire Sacra­men­to Val­ley.

Take a walk across for views of the lake to the east and the flow­ing Feath­er Riv­er to the west, and make sure to take in the pow­er of the spill­way a short dri­ve away if it’s releas­ing water when you visit.

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Dis­cov­er the cul­tur­al heart of the coun­ty seat in Down­town Oroville, where you’ll find deli­cious local­ly owned restau­rants, unique shops, and live­ly com­mu­ni­ty events.

This icon­ic and visu­al­ly stun­ning Oroville Chi­nese Tem­ple high­lights the his­to­ry of Chi­nese-Amer­i­cans in the region.

Both a muse­um and an active place of wor­ship that show­cas­es the his­to­ry of the Chi­nese com­mu­ni­ty dur­ing California’s Gold Rush, the Oroville Chi­nese Tem­ple is a unique piece of the state’s cul­tur­al her­itage. Make this a must-see on your itinerary.

Take a fas­ci­nat­ing tour of the hatch­ery and watch as salmon climb the fish lad­der at the Feath­er Riv­er Hatch­ery.

Rais­ing Chi­nook salmon and steel­head along the Feath­er Riv­er, from mid-Sep­tem­ber to mid-Novem­ber, you can watch migrat­ing salmon through an under­wa­ter view­ing win­dow. Vis­i­tors can also see spawn­ing steel­head from mid-Decem­ber through mid-February.

With fish present in the rear­ing ponds all year, it’s a great stop any time of year.

You’re final­ly on the scenic byway, and it’s time to pull over and take in the beau­ti­ful views of the West Branch Feath­er Riv­er Bridge and the house­boats in Lime Sad­dle Marina.

There’s even a small trail con­nect­ed to the pull-out for those look­ing to explore more than just the views.

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Just 15 min­utes up the high­way, Rock House Din­ing & Espres­so is an icon­ic struc­ture that was built in 1937 from local­ly sourced rock to cre­ate its 18-inch thick stone walls.

Even though the restau­rant is cur­rent­ly closed, this his­toric build­ing is a per­fect spot for a few self­ies and a quick rest.

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Less than half a mile away though the infa­mous Jar­bo Gap, Toni’s Mix­init­up is a clas­sic road­side café, cater­ing to those who love the open road.

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At the Pul­ga Bridges, the high­way bridge cross­es direct­ly over the rail­road bridge, which cre­ates an icon­ic and pop­u­lar spot for photographers.

Although locat­ed in Butte Coun­ty, the Pul­ga Bridges Loop is an extend­ed part of Plumas Coun­ty’s 7 Won­ders of the Rail­road World, mak­ing it a beloved spot for both rail and road enthusiasts.

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Just a mile east of the Pul­gas Bridge, Sandy Beach is a seclud­ed dis­persed beach that is busiest dur­ing the sum­mer months but offers year-round riv­er access to the North Fork Feath­er River. 

Please note that access to and re-entry onto High­way 70 from the park­ing area is dif­fi­cult and requires care­ful dri­ving. There are also no bath­rooms or potable water, so please plan accordingly.

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Mak­ing your return trip back to Oroville? Pull over at this view­point and take in the sweep­ing views of the val­ley below, a per­fect place to reflect on your journey.

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As you ven­ture deep­er into the Feath­er Riv­er Canyon, Plumas Coun­ty offers a new kind of adven­ture, blend­ing engi­neer­ing feats with raw, untamed nature.

Pull over at the Griz­zly Dome Tun­nel to wit­ness a true mar­vel of high­way construction.

Blast­ed through sol­id gran­ite by the Works Progress Admin­is­tra­tion (WPA) in the late 1920s and ear­ly 1930s, this 1,178-foot tun­nel fea­tures ​“win­dows” cut into the rock, offer­ing unique views of the canyon.

It’s also a pop­u­lar spot for climbers, so you’ll often see a live­ly crowd near the park­ing lot.

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Vis­i­ble from High­way 70, this hydro­elec­tric pow­er­house is a key part of the ​“Stair­way of Pow­er,” a series of sev­en pow­er­hous­es that har­ness the river’s energy.

Built in 1927, it’s an excel­lent exam­ple of the pow­er-gen­er­at­ing process in action.

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For those seek­ing a chal­lenge, the Tobin Trail is an advanced inter­me­di­ate-lev­el trail offer­ing a reward­ing jour­ney for seri­ous hikers.

Explore Col­by Creek with­in one mile, Buck’s Creek 2.5 miles in, and more as the trail climbs up the south side of the canyon and cross­es a cou­ple of beau­ti­ful creeks in steep drainages.

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The Tobin Bridges are a must-see for rail­fans and his­to­ry buffs. Here, the high­way and rail­road bridges near­ly cross, with the rail­road bridge pass­ing over High­way 70.

This impres­sive engi­neer­ing feat is an extend­ed part of Plumas Coun­ty’s 7 Won­ders of the Rail­road World.

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Cap­ture a moment of Gold Rush his­to­ry at the Eby Stamp Mill, the only remain­ing gold min­ing machin­ery along this stretch of the Feath­er River.

Although relo­cat­ed in 1969 for pub­lic view­ing, it remains a tan­gi­ble link to a past when this area was rich with min­ers. You’ll also find a cou­ple of trail­heads nearby.

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Access the town of Belden by cross­ing a unique, one-lane bridge orig­i­nal­ly built in 1937.

It’s a qui­eter spot to stop and take in a mel­low­er scene of the nat­ur­al beau­ty of the Feath­er Riv­er and the canyon.

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A pop­u­lar stop for Pacif­ic Crest Trail hik­ers, Belden fea­tures a small store and lodg­ing options.

Belden’s sec­tion of the PCT is par­tic­u­lar­ly noto­ri­ous for its exposed 5,000 foot climb out of the canyon, so be pre­pared if you’re look­ing to tack­le this part of the trail.

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Take a break from the road at Cari­bou Cross­roads RV Park Café, a wel­com­ing spot that offers fresh meals, hot cof­fee, and a cozy atmosphere.

It’s a favorite stop for PCT hik­ers, mak­ing it a place to swap sto­ries and feel the friend­ly com­mu­ni­ty spirit.

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Rich Bar was a Gold Rush boom­town, pro­duc­ing mil­lions of dol­lars of gold between 1850 and 1890. Today, it’s an over­grown ghost town, with the town’s ceme­tery the only remains of its boom­ing past.

Enjoy a stop to imag­ine what it must have been like in the 19^th cen­tu­ry as you take in the views of the cur­rent serene hillsides.

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A sta­ple in the Feath­er Riv­er Canyon since 1961, the Twain Gen­er­al Store offers a fam­i­ly-friend­ly campground.

It’s locat­ed on the Plumas For­est Back­coun­try Dis­cov­ery Trail, mak­ing it a per­fect spot for those with quads and dirt bikes look­ing for an off-road adventure.

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A short two mile dri­ve from the Twain Gen­er­al Store takes you to the Feath­er Riv­er Hot Springs, a hid­den ther­mal sanc­tu­ary. The rus­tic and reju­ve­nat­ing retreat offers three tubs fed by a nat­ur­al sul­fur spring right next to the river.

Soak­ing is by reser­va­tion only, so be sure to plan ahead.

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The Ked­die Wye is a renowned feat of rail­road engi­neer­ing and a favorite among rail­fans. It is the world’s only wye (a tri­an­gle of rail­road track used for turn­ing trains) with two legs on bridges that meet in a tunnel.

This unique junc­tion is part of Plumas Coun­ty’s 7 Won­ders of the Rail­road World and is a pow­er­ful sight to behold.

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As the coun­ty seat and cul­tur­al hub of Plumas Coun­ty, Quin­cy is the per­fect place to explore restau­rants, shops, and events, plus a live­ly and com­mit­ted arts scene.

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Wit­ness a famous feat of rail­road engi­neer­ing at the Williams Loop. To gain ele­va­tion with­out a steep grade, the tracks loop back over them­selves in a tight cir­cle, a design that makes it feel like the train is wrap­ping around you.

This is anoth­er of the 7 Won­ders of the Rail­road World.

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Locat­ed high on the east­ern slopes of the Sier­ra Neva­da, the Plumas-Eure­ka State Park offers a unique glimpse into the Gold Rush era.

The Min­ing His­to­ry Muse­um and the remains of the Mohawk Stamp Mill give vis­i­tors a tan­gi­ble sense of the past. The park also fea­tures over ten miles of trails for hik­ing and fishing.

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At 172 feet high and 1,005 feet long, the Clio Tres­tle is the longest and tallest bridge along the Feath­er Riv­er Route.

This dra­mat­ic land­mark is a favorite spot for trainspot­ters and is a key part of the 7 Won­ders of the Rail­road World exhibit.

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The Lakes Basin Recre­ation Area is a crown jew­el in the Plumas Nation­al Forest.

With over 20 glacial­ly carved alpine lakes, impres­sive peaks, and more than 30 miles of world-class trails, this area gives you a sense of the ​“Lost Sier­ra” with­out the crowds.

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Locat­ed in Por­to­la, the West­ern Pacif­ic Rail­road Museum is a hands-on muse­um where vis­i­tors can actu­al­ly board and explore his­toric loco­mo­tives and train cars.

It’s one of the largest and most his­toric col­lec­tions of diesel loco­mo­tives in the Unit­ed States, mak­ing it a must-vis­it for train enthu­si­asts of all ages.

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A true par­adise for bird­ers and nature enthu­si­asts, the Sier­ra Val­ley Pre­serve & Nature Center is locat­ed at the head­wa­ters of the Mid­dle Fork of the Feath­er River.

It is home to the largest fresh­wa­ter wet­land in the Sier­ra Neva­da and pro­vides year-round pub­lic access for hik­ing, bird­ing, kayak­ing, and nature photography.

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From the unique com­mu­ni­ties and urban ameni­ties of Butte Coun­ty to the wide-open spaces and rugged adven­tures in Plumas Coun­ty, the Feath­er Riv­er Scenic Byway offers a jour­ney like no oth­er. This route show­cas­es a spe­cial com­bi­na­tion of out­door recre­ation and engi­neer­ing his­to­ry that makes this region so unique.

Whether you’re seek­ing a serene escape or an ambi­tious new dis­cov­ery, this scenic byway is your invi­ta­tion to explore the best of North­ern California.