Forebay Aquatic Center

The Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter is a sea­son­al water sports and out­door recre­ation hub locat­ed at the Ther­mal­i­to Fore­bay in the Lake Oroville State Recre­ation Area in Oroville, California.

Oper­at­ing from mid-May through Labor Day week­end, it offers kayak, stand-up pad­dle­board, and equip­ment rentals, along with fam­i­ly-friend­ly guid­ed water tours, youth pro­grams, and acces­si­ble facilities. 

Sea­son­al Water Rentals & Recreation

Locat­ed just min­utes from Down­town Oroville, the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter offers an acces­si­ble gate­way to calm-water boat­ing, pad­dling, and swimming.

Designed for both casu­al vis­i­tors and expe­ri­enced pad­dlers, the park fea­tures rental equip­ment and calm waters suit­ed for all skill levels.

• Oper­at­ing Sea­son: Open mid-May through Labor Day weekend.
• Activ­i­ties & Rentals: Stand-up pad­dle­boards (SUPs), sin­gle kayaks, tan­dem kayaks, and water sports equipment.
• Acces­si­bil­i­ty Fea­tures: Fea­tures a ded­i­cat­ed wheel­chair-acces­si­ble fish­ing plat­form and dock access.
• Local Oper­a­tions: Oper­at­ed as a com­mu­ni­ty col­lab­o­ra­tion between Out­door Edu­ca­tion for All!, Table Moun­tain Row­ing Club, Butte Sail­ing Club, Chico State Row­ing Club, and the Cal­i­for­nia Depart­ment of Parks & Recre­ation Divi­sion of Boat­ing & Waterways.

Guid­ed Expe­ri­ences & Com­mu­ni­ty Events

Spe­cial events run through­out the year, pair­ing vis­i­tors with expe­ri­enced guides for safe, mem­o­rable outings.

Full Moon Paddles

Expe­ri­ence the calm waters of the Fore­bay under the night sky with a Full Moon Paddle.

These guid­ed evening events begin with a free pad­dle as the sun sets over the water, fol­lowed by a grouped pad­dle across the lake as the moon rises.

• Avail­abil­i­ty: Offered once a month most months of the year. Check web­site for cur­rent availability.
• Equip­ment Options: Sin­gle kayak, tan­dem kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
• Skill Lev­el: Fam­i­ly-friend­ly and suit­able for all expe­ri­ence lev­els; led by safe­ty staff with a lit dock point for easy return.

Feath­er Riv­er Salmon Tours

Every autumn, Chi­nook (King) salmon migrate from the Pacif­ic Ocean up the Sacra­men­to Riv­er to spawn in the Feath­er Riv­er at Oroville. 

The Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter hosts guid­ed kayak tours that allow vis­i­tors to pad­dle along­side the salmon migra­tion while learn­ing about the local ecosys­tem and riv­er life cycle.

• Sea­son: Held annu­al­ly in the fall, with two times offered each tour date. Check web­site for this sea­son’s availability.
• Skill Require­ment: Inter­me­di­ate pad­dlers. Par­tic­i­pants must pos­sess basic kayak­ing skills to safe­ly nav­i­gate mild riv­er cur­rents and light obstacles.
• Age Restric­tions: Youth ages 7 – 12 are wel­come when pad­dling in a tan­dem kayak with an accom­pa­ny­ing adult.

Plan Your Visit

• Loca­tion: Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter, 930 Gar­den Dr., Oroville
• Sched­ules & Pric­ing: Hours of oper­a­tion, equip­ment rental rates, and event reg­is­tra­tion vary sea­son­al­ly. Check the offi­cial Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter web­site for cur­rent hours of operation.