The Best Things to Do in March in Butte County

While April brings the peak wild­flower crowds, locals would tell you that March is a great time to vis­it the North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve for a qui­eter yet still abun­dant visit.

With the rainy sea­son in full swing, March is one of the best times to see up to 14 sea­son­al water­falls, includ­ing the icon­ic Phan­tom Falls. The first of the wild­flower blooms begin to appear, offer­ing a hint of the spring col­or to come with­out the peak-sea­son foot traffic.

Make sure to get your CDFW Lands Pass before you vis­it and lace up with stur­dy hik­ing boots that you’re ok with get­ting a lit­tle (or a lot) muddy.

Extend Your Stay

After a mud­dy morn­ing on the trails, head to Down­town Oroville. Warm up with din­ner at Union or Pro­vi­sions, and enjoy a sun­set walk along the Feath­er Riv­er before stay­ing the night at your favorite hotel. In the morn­ing, enjoy a lat­te from Union Cof­fee Club or Mug Shots Cof­fee House before explor­ing the unique shops in the heart of the city.

In March, Upper Bid­well Park under­goes a dra­mat­ic trans­for­ma­tion. The foothills turn a vibrant green, and the moss-cov­ered basalt rocks of Upper Park cre­ate a strik­ing land­scape against the rush­ing waters of Big Chico Creek.

Hike the pedes­tri­an-only Yahi Trail for a front-row seat to the high-water flows of the creek. This low­er-ele­va­tion trail is per­fect for a scenic hike — and yes, your four-legged best friend is wel­come, too!

Extend Your Stay

Make it a full week­end by din­ing at one of the many acclaimed restau­rants in Down­town Chico before stay­ing the night at a local hotel or B&B. The next day, return to the park to explore the Annie Bid­well Trail on the south side of the creek, or hike Mon­key Face to take in the panoram­ic green views of the park.

For even more water views, head out to the Hon­ey Run Cov­ered Bridge to check out the flow­ing waters of Butte Creek.

For those who aren’t quite ready to say good­bye to win­ter, use Chico as your base­camp for a day trip to Lassen Vol­canic Nation­al Park for a dra­mat­ic con­trast to the spring val­ley floor.

While the main park road remains closed to through-traf­fic, the Kohm Yah-mah-née Vis­i­tor Cen­ter (South Entrance) is acces­si­ble and just a lit­tle over 90 min­utes away. 

March offers a unique oppor­tu­ni­ty for snow­shoe­ing or cross-coun­try ski­ing along the snow-cov­ered park high­way. A pop­u­lar two-mile round-trip route leads to Sul­phur Works, where you can see steam­ing mud­pots and hydrother­mal vents clash­ing against the deep white snow drifts

Extend Your Stay

Spend the fol­low­ing morn­ing enjoy­ing a slow brunch down­town before explor­ing Chico State for an icon­ic ​“Chico State Expe­ri­ence,” includ­ing lunch at Madi­son Bear Gar­den, a stroll through the scenic cam­pus, and stops at one of its stu­dent-run muse­ums or gal­leries.

If you want the snow with­out the dri­ve, Butte Mead­ows and the high coun­try are where all the locals go.

At near­ly 5,000 feet, the area often retains a deep snow­pack well into the spring. It’s an ide­al spot for a morn­ing of sled­ding or snow­shoe­ing through the pines.

Extend Your Stay

At the Butte Mead­ows Mer­can­tile & Resort, rent a moun­tain cab­in and spend your morn­ing in the snow and your evening cozy­ing up by a wood­stove or at the near­by local favorite, The Bam­bi Inn.

Alter­na­tive­ly, head back to Chico for a warmer stay in the city, where you’ll find plen­ty of great din­ing and lodg­ing options that don’t require gloves and snowshoes.

Known as the cul­tur­al hub of the North State, Chico’s down­town is packed with gal­leries, muse­ums, and his­toric spaces that are per­fect for a slow­er-paced rainy day.

Spend the after­noon brows­ing the stacks at The Book­store or explor­ing the curat­ed col­lec­tions at 6^th St. Sec­ond­hand or Eighth & Main Antique Cen­ter. As evening approach­es, grab a table at a local favorite like Argus Bar + Patio for a craft cock­tail before head­ing to an inde­pen­dent film at the Pageant The­atre.

Extend Your Stay

Explore the val­ley and the moun­tains in one trip. In the morn­ing, enjoy expert­ly craft­ed cof­fee from a local favorite like Naked Lounge or Ten­der Lov­ing Cof­fee before head­ing up the hill to Paradise.

Once on the Ridge, stop by Joy Lyn’s Can­dies for their famous Beer Brit­tle or a box of arti­sanal choco­lates. After treat­ing your­self, take in the dra­mat­ic March views of the ​“mini Grand Canyon” from the Butte Creek Water­shed Over­look or Bille Park.

If you have more time, con­tin­ue your loop to Gri­d­ley to explore its quaint down­town shops.