The Top Spots to Cool Off on the Water in Butte County

Whether you are look­ing for open, motor­ized waters for power­boat­ing or qui­et, pine-fringed moun­tain basins for seclud­ed fish­ing, these expans­es offer excel­lent day-use and camp­ing opportunities.

Lake Oroville

Best for: Boat­ing, house­boats, float­ing camp­sites, and bass fishing

As the region’s largest and most well-known reser­voir, Lake Oroville is the go-to des­ti­na­tion for boat­ing, water ski­ing, and jet ski­ing when the weath­er warms.

It’s also a nation­al­ly renowned bass fish­ing loca­tion and offers recre­ation expe­ri­ences unique to the lake, includ­ing the only float­ing camp­sites in Cal­i­for­nia, house­boat rentals, and boat-in camping.

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Par­adise Lake

Best for: Flat­wa­ter pad­dling and qui­et fishing

Tucked away on the Par­adise Ridge in Mag­a­lia, Par­adise Lake could have eas­i­ly been named for its pic­ture-per­fect loca­tion among the pines rather than the near­by town.

Gas-pow­ered boats are pro­hib­it­ed to pro­tect the reser­voir, leav­ing the glassy water entire­ly per­fect for a relax­ing pad­dle or fish­ing trip. And a flat, 4.5‑mile trail traces the shore­line, mak­ing for easy hik­ing and nature view­ing where you might spot an occa­sion­al bald eagle or bear.

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Sly Creek Reservoir

Best for: High-ele­va­tion sum­mer escapes

Sur­round­ed by conifer-lined shores under bright blue skies, the high­er-ele­va­tion, 562-acre Sly Creek Reser­voir is notable for its strik­ing emer­ald-hued water.

The invit­ing scene offers flat­wa­ter boaters, anglers, and campers a serene, qui­et moun­tain expe­ri­ence as well as a wel­come reprieve from the sum­mer heat of the val­ley floor below.

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Lake Con­cow

Best for: Seclud­ed camp­ing and stargazing

Hid­den in the con­ver­gence of the Sier­ra and Cas­cade foothills, Lake Con­cow is a beau­ti­ful, qui­et spot for shore­line fish­ing, camp­ing, and hik­ing. Tall trees pro­vide plen­ty of shade for activ­i­ties along the water’s edge, while the sur­round­ing 80 acres of wilder­ness offer plen­ty of open space for explor­ing native plants and night-sky stargazing.

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Lake De Sabla

Best for: Quick, cenic moun­tain fishing

Named after one of PG&E’s founders, Lake De Sabla is a quaint, pic­turesque reser­voir locat­ed just off the Sky­way in Magalia.

Anoth­er high­er-ele­va­tion des­ti­na­tion, the tree-lined lake is a con­ve­nient and peace­ful spot for a quick break from the sum­mer heat, qui­et bank fish­ing, and a lit­tle after­noon contemplation.

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From fast-paced white-water rapids to lazy sum­mer tub­ing runs, these are the top choic­es for launch­ing a kayak, rent­ing a pad­dle­board, or wad­ing along a scenic creek.

Sacra­men­to River

Best for: Lazy riv­er tub­ing and bank fishing

Butte Coun­ty’s share of the Sacra­men­to Riv­er, the largest riv­er in the state, show­cas­es some of the best riv­er recre­ation in Cal­i­for­nia. It’s incred­i­bly pop­u­lar for lazy sum­mer tub­ing adven­tures, boat and bank fish­ing, or sim­ply splash­ing around with friends at Wash-Out Beach near Chico. Walk­ing paths and shad­ed day-use areas line the river­banks for those who pre­fer dry­er adventures.

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Feath­er River

Best for: Fish­ing, kayak­ing, and white-water rafting

The Feath­er Riv­er is a key water fea­ture in Butte Coun­ty, espe­cial­ly across the south­ern half of the region where its waters feed into Lake Oroville.

Beyond the reser­voir, the North, South, and Mid­dle Forks of the riv­er are pop­u­lar recre­ation spots in their own right, with the Mid­dle Fork fol­low­ing the scenic Feath­er Riv­er Canyon. Anglers, kayak­ers, and white-water rafters reg­u­lar­ly vis­it these forks through­out the year to find their own piece of wild river.

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Butte Creek

Best for: Scenic float­ing and fam­i­ly-friend­ly wading

For a relaxed day on the water away from the larg­er riv­er crowds, you can pad­dle or float the clas­sic run along Butte Creek from the Cen­ter­ville Bridge down to the Hon­ey Run Cov­ered Bridge. The swim­ming holes along this stretch are fam­i­ly-friend­ly, offer­ing flat rocks and sandy banks for easy access.

NOTE: Much of the land here is pri­vate, so be sure to respect all ​“No Tres­pass­ing” signs and stay with­in des­ig­nat­ed pub­lic areas. Also keep an eye out for endan­gered spring-run Chi­nook salmon, which use the upper reach­es of the creek as a vital spawn­ing ground.

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Ther­mal­i­to Forebay

Best for: Pad­dle­board rentals, swim­ming, and lake­side BBQs

Swim­mers, pad­dlers, and boaters can choose between two dis­tinct recre­ation areas at the Ther­mal­i­to Fore­bay.

The North Fore­bay is reserved exclu­sive­ly for non-motor­ized water­craft and hosts the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter, where you can rent pad­dle­boards and kayaks on wake-free waters right next to a 200-yard sandy swim­ming beach, dress­ing rooms, and over 100 shad­ed pic­nic tables and BBQ grills.

The South Fore­bay caters direct­ly to power­boaters, jet skiers, and shore­line anglers with a mul­ti-lane launch ramp, its own sandy beach, and shad­ed pic­nic sites.

Both sides offer a clas­sic sum­mer set­up for launch­ing a boat, cool­ing off in the water, and grilling by the shore.

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Trac­ing the path of Big Chico Creek through Bid­well Park, these nat­ur­al swim­ming holes offer a dis­tinct pro­gres­sion of spots to cool off, rang­ing from high­ly acces­si­ble spots near down­town to rugged, deep canyon pools hid­den along wild trails.

Sycamore Pool

Best for: Acces­si­ble, fam­i­ly-friend­ly swimming

Locat­ed just one mile upstream from Down­town Chico in One Mile Recre­ation Area, Sycamore Pool is the most acces­si­ble swim­ming spot along Big Chico Creek. Built in the 1920s, this unique liv­ing pool fea­tures a con­crete basin built direct­ly into the path of the flow­ing creek, com­plete­ly sur­round­ed by Low­er Park’s shady tree canopy and wide grassy fields.

No mat­ter how hot it gets in Chico, the ever-flow­ing creek water will always cool you down.

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Five Mile Recre­ation Area

Best for: Fam­i­lies with young children

Those with younger fam­i­ly mem­bers will find a per­fect spot at Five Mile Recre­ation Area, where Big Chico Creek is wider, shal­low­er, and calmer than the swim­ming holes found fur­ther upstream.

Fea­tur­ing a pic­turesque pedes­tri­an bridge and plen­ty of shade trees, it sits close to restrooms and pic­nic areas, offer­ing a great blend of the urban atmos­phere of Low­er Park and the more rugged Upper Park.

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Alli­ga­tor Hole

Best for: Post-hike dip, young travelers

Even though the first des­ig­nat­ed swim­ming hole in Upper Park is pret­ty tame, Alli­ga­tor Hole is still a pleas­ant stop along the Yahi Trail.

Fea­tur­ing a small grav­el beach with great views look­ing toward the begin­ning of the South Rim, it’s an ide­al, low-stress spot for young hik­ers or a nice place to cool off one last time after a long run.

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Bear Hole and Diver­sion Dam

Best for: Sun­bathing and deep-pool swimming

Once you arrive, it’ll be easy to see why Bear Hole is a local favorite.

The area fea­tures deep pools con­nect­ed by rush­ing chutes of sparkling water, all framed by the flat, exposed vol­canic basalt of the Love­joy For­ma­tion. The smooth rock shelves act as a nat­ur­al play­ground and a per­fect sun-drenched patio for catch­ing some rays between swims.

Just upstream, the old diver­sion dam offers even more pools and chan­nels to explore.

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Salmon Hole

Best for: Scenic, rugged wilder­ness swimming

Locat­ed deep­er with­in the canyon of Upper Bid­well Park, Salmon Hole offers one of the most scenic swim­ming expe­ri­ences in the area.

Reach­ing it requires a longer, more rugged trek than oth­er spots on the creek, but those who make the hike are reward­ed with one of the largest nat­ur­al pools on Big Chico Creek and sev­er­al qui­et side-pools tucked into the sur­round­ing cliffs.

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Brown’s Hole

Best for: Seclud­ed canyon swimming

If you want to check out Chico’s nat­ur­al swim­ming holes but are look­ing for a more seclud­ed expe­ri­ence, head to Brown’s Hole. As the last offi­cial­ly des­ig­nat­ed swim­ming hole in Upper Bid­well Park, it offers an almost wilder­ness setting.

Once there, you will find two long, slen­der pools framed by thick stands of oak trees, lush ripar­i­an plants, and a small grav­el beach tucked away from the main crowds.

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