A Two-Day Summer Weekend Itinerary in Butte County

When vis­it­ing Butte Coun­ty, we rec­om­mend stay­ing at the Hotel Dia­mond, which is a his­toric hotel in Down­town Chico, Cal­i­for­nia.

This charm­ing his­toric hotel is cen­tral­ly locat­ed in town with­in walk­ing dis­tance of most activ­i­ties and has stun­ning décor. There’s also an on-site restau­rant and free park­ing in the garage next door.

Break­fast at the Chico Farm­ers Market

If you’re look­ing to get a taste of Butte Coun­ty then the Chico Farm­ers Mar­ket is the place to go for break­fast and some fun shop­ping! The mar­ket runs on Sat­ur­days from 7:30am-1pm year-round, and is locat­ed in the Down­town Chico Munic­i­pal Park­ing Lot on 2^nd St. & Wall St.

This charm­ing mar­ket has it all. You’ll find lots of agri­cul­tur­al ven­dors sell­ing local pro­duce and flow­ers, includ­ing TONS of amaz­ing Cal­i­for­nia berries. You’ll also find cof­fee ven­dors, bak­eries with bread and pas­tries, hot food ven­dors, crafters, and MORE. 

Every­thing is hand­made or pro­duced. We spent sev­er­al hours here wan­der­ing the mar­ket, eat­ing deli­cious pas­tries from Cam­i­na Bakery (a bak­ery), cof­fee from Ten­der Lov­ing Cof­fee, and fresh, local­ly grown straw­ber­ries and blackberries. 

Quick tip: We regret not get­ting a flower bouquet!

Hike the Yahi Trail in Bid­well Park

Next, dri­ve 10 min­utes out of down­town to vis­it one of the largest munic­i­pal parks in the Unit­ed States! Bid­well Park is one of our favorite loca­tions to hike in Cal­i­for­nia. Here you’ll find a stun­ning canyon, the cool and refresh­ing Big Chico Creek, and stun­ning oak savan­nah landscapes.

We high­ly rec­om­mend hik­ing the Yahi Trail, which is a rel­a­tive­ly easy 8 mile out-and-back trek. The great thing about this hike is you can turn around when­ev­er you like. We did about 5 miles of the hike dur­ing our recent visit.

Go for a Swim in Big Chico Creek

Along the Yahi Trail, you’ll find a hand­ful of swim­ming holes along Big Chico Creek — we vis­it­ed Salmon Hole, but Bear Hole is also AWE­SOME. Find a map of the swim­ming holes here.

Quick tip: Don’t for­get to pack a quick dry tow­el for your hike!

Lunch at Momona in Down­town Chico

For lunch we sug­gest going to Momona in Down­town Chico. They fea­ture local ingre­di­ents in their deli­cious Japan­ese ramen and bao. 

We were also HUGE fans of their moji­to cock­tail, which fea­tured coconut water!

Stroll around Clotilde Mer­lo Park

Next, dri­ve about 50 min­utes out­side of Chico to vis­it Clotilde Mer­lo Park. This pri­vate park is free to vis­it and fea­tures 20 serene acres to explore. There are even fish you can feed in the pond!

This area is a great place to beat the heat, relax by the water, and enjoy a pic­nic or snack.

Kayak or Hike at Par­adise Lake

End your day with a hike or kayak­ing adven­ture at Par­adise Lake, which is a beau­ti­ful area to explore and beat the heat! Kayak rentals are avail­able on week­ends, and there are lots of shad­ed lake­side trails you can explore here.

This is a great spot for begin­ning kayak­ers and peo­ple look­ing for a flat, cool place to hike. You might even see bald eagles and oth­er birds while visiting!

Par­adise Lake is also home to a vari­ety of spe­cial events through­out the year, includ­ing Astron­o­my on the Lake, host­ed by the Par­adise Recre­ation Parks District.

Break­fast at Union Cof­fee Club

Start your sec­ond day in Butte Coun­ty with a dri­ve to Down­town Oroville.

Here, we rec­om­mend grab­bing cof­fee and break­fast at Union Cof­fee Club, which is a rel­a­tive­ly new spot in down­town. Their Elder­ber­ry Hibis­cus Matcha Lat­te and Black Sesame Lat­te were huge hits, and their avo­ca­do toast was delicious.

Swim, SUP, or Pad­dle at the Ther­mal­i­to Fore­bay and Fore­bay Aquat­ic Center

Next, head to the Ther­mal­i­to Fore­bay in Oroville. Part of the Lake Oroville State Recre­ation Area, it’s a great spot for swim­ming, relax­ing on the beach, and grilling.

You can also rent SUPs, aqua bikes, ped­dle boats, kayaks, and more at the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter.

Enjoy a relax­ing morn­ing on the water. You’ll like­ly hear lots of red­wing black­birds singing in the reeds!

Lunch at Mug Shots Cof­fee House

After a morn­ing in the sun head to Mug Shots Cof­fee House for a deli­cious lunch!

This charm­ing spot in Down­town Oroville has sand­wich­es, fresh cook­ies and desserts, and deli­cious fruit smooth­ies and cof­fee drinks.

Their cus­tomer ser­vice is FAN­TAS­TIC, and we appre­ci­at­ed their no-frills menu (sim­ple food pre­pared well) and com­pet­i­tive prices. We enjoyed eat­ing on their front patio, and the meals can also be tak­en to go.

Learn about California’s Water at the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tor Center

Next, up into the foothills to the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tor Cen­ter, which is a great place to learn about California’s water! On the dri­ve make sure to take in the sight of the MAS­SIVE Oroville Dam spill­way, which is an impres­sive sight.

At the admis­sion-free vis­i­tors cen­ter, you can learn about the dam, reser­voir, and the peo­ple that called this land home before set­tlers arrived. You can also go up a view­ing plat­form to see the lake below.

Hike Kel­ly Ridge Point Trail or Vis­it Big Bald Rock

From the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tor Cen­ter, you can hike the Bid­well Canyon Trail to Kel­ly Ridge Point, which is a 3.4 mile walk along a tree-lined trail. The hike ends at the water, with excel­lent views of the lake and an oppor­tu­ni­ty to take a swim or dip your toes.

Alter­na­tive­ly, if you’re up for more of a scenic dri­ve we sug­gest dri­ving to Big Bald Rock, which is a giant gran­ite dome with excel­lent views of the val­ley below. This is a great spot for a short stroll or hike, but the dri­ve is about 45 min­utes one way from the vis­i­tors center.

After­noon Tour and Tast­ing at Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ing Co.

End your after­noon with a tour and tast­ing at Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ing Co.! Dur­ing tours you can see their pro­duc­tion facil­i­ty and learn about the his­to­ry of the company.

We’ve done tours here twice and we always love see­ing the behind the scenes of the brew­ing process. We also enjoyed the gen­er­ous tast­ing at the end of the tour.

Enjoy an Ital­ian Din­ner at Crush in Chico

End your day with a rich Ital­ian meal at Crush. Our mouths are water­ing just think­ing about our meal here!

We ordered their pomodoro pas­ta with basil and gar­lic, as well as their mush­room ravi­o­li. If you can, request a seat on their love­ly patio over­look­ing Down­town Chico.

Quick tip: We high­ly rec­om­mend their wines, as well as their pas­ta dishes.