Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park

California is full of beautiful and open parks. However, it’s only natural that the State Park would have only the best activities and gorgeous scenery around. The Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park is located near Chico in the county of Butte, California. Since it’s in very Northern California, if you’re coming here during the winter, you might want to bundle up for it can get pretty chilly. Though, summer time is a perfect season to be at this park for the weather can get pretty warm. And when the beautiful river there, the best season’s to be there would be spring and summer.

The time schedule for the park isn’t strict, though it’s for day use only. Unless you’re camping at the park, then it’s intended for only day time public access. There isn’t a fee to get in, though camping might be a different story. If you want to find out about the camping locations and fees, you can call 1-800-444-PARK (7275), or the number for this specific park, 530-342-5185. This is a perfect location to go camping, due to the river for fishing, and the spacious grounds with beautiful oak trees.

The Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park is two hundred and ninety three acres, with the river being about one hundred and ninety miles long. So there’s plenty of room for the entire family to have fun and do activities here. In fact, the river is so wide that many enjoy water and jet skiing on the water. One of the most popular activities to do on the huge river is canoeing and tubing down the stream. Another popular activity is fishing for salmon along the river, or in a fishing boat. The State Park also includes a boating ramp and parking for storage of your boat.

There are four different park areas that you can go on for different activities. The first is the Indian Fishery Day Use area, where visitors come to bird watch, hike and take photographs of the stunning area. Many love to watch the beautiful habitats that surround this area, including the wild life. Though the river animals are slowly disappearing you will still catch turtles, and other river animals along the shore. Another area is called the Big Chico Creek Day Use area, where many come to use their rafts and canoes to sail across the water.

The third area is the Pine Creek Day Use area, which is great for picnicking and every other relaxing activity you can think of. Though you can canoe and kayak here, it’s very popular for more wildlife and bird watching. And for those who aren’t that big on the great outdoors and hiking, you can enjoy sun bathing and relaxing along the shore here. The fourth area is called the Irvine Finch area, which is the easiest access to the river for boats and canoes. So it’s recommended to start here with your boat, and to end at the Pine Creek Day area. Though it’s not a rule, it just makes it easier and more organized for the other visitors.

Directions to the Bidwell-Sacramento River State Park are pretty simple, though if you’re not from around the area, it would be best to follow the directions as carefully as you can.From Chico, you can take West Sacramento Ave. Then in about five miles, it will intersect with River Road. Big Chico Creek is to the left, Indian Fishery straight ahead and Pine Creek is to the right. Irvine Finch River Access is located just west of the Hwy. So there are four different locations you can enter from, and so if you get lost going to one, just find your way to one of the different locations, and ask for directions.

If you’re coming from Sacramento, take I-5 to Highway 32, and exit at Orland. Irvine Finch River Access is just East of Hamilton City. To go to the rest of the park, keep driving on East on Highway 32 and turn right on River Road. If you have any more questions or concerns about directions, you can call the number provided for the camping recourse, or visit their website, http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=463, which will inform you on everything.