My Favorite Hikes in Butte County

I live in Northern California at the north end of the Sacramento valley and close to the Sierra Nevada mountains in Butte County. Although I grew up in the area exposed to the outdoors camping and hunting I didn’t get into hiking until I was in my thirties. Since then I’ve explored a lot of trails near my home, most of are within an hour or so drive from my house. The nice thing about living in the valley is the opportunity to hike year around without the issue of snow or extremely cold temperatures. Late fall and winter are still great times to get outside and explore the outdoors. I love hitting the trails during these seasons because a lot of people disappear when the weather changes and the trails tend to be quieter. There are a few trails near my home that I love and always like to come back to in any season. These trails are my go to options if I feel like escaping to nature for a bit. If you live in or near Butte county read on and I’m going to share with you my favorite hikes in Butte County!

Lil Falls Trail

This 4.5 mile hike in Magalia is a beautiful easy hike through forest scenery that offers a creek and some small waterfalls. The trail starts off of a residential road and there is no parking lot or big sign and its kid of hard to find. Once you turn onto Colter Road the trailhead is immediately on your left. There is only room for about two vehicles to park alongside the road but there are other residential streets nearby that I’m sure you could park on. Each time I’ve been there I’ve been the only vehicle so parking hasn’t been an issue. You will see a sign attached to the side of a tree stating the names and mileage of the trails. The trail starts out with some steep decent down off the road and then you walk behind a couple of houses. The first time I hiked this trail I was confused and hesitant because it looked like I was going into someone’s property but you’re not. The trail starts out pretty wide and then eventually narrows and you get into the foliage near the creek. Gigantic redwood and pine trees tower overhead and pine needles cover the trail. This particular area was spared from the Camp Fire of 2018 and remains green and natural. The trail then comes to a fork and you can take either way and make the trail a loop. I like to take the fork to the left and follow it until you reach the middle fork of Butte creek. You’ll hear the rushing water first and then when you reach the bank you’ll see the moss covered rocks lining the creek bed and lots of bright green plants and some small waterfalls. Soon the trail takes you over a couple of bridges that cross you over the creek and then back. The last time I hiked I ran into a buck trotting down the trail right towards me. It’s a quiet, serene hike where you can get away and get some alone time while being immersed in a beautiful forest environment. This trail has a few options of forks that can be taken or can be done as a loop and I ended up clocking 5.2 miles.

Yahi Trail

This trail is an 8.8 mile out and back trail up the canyon of Upper Bidwell Park that follows Big Chico Creek. The scenery offers lots of oak trees, a flowing creek, foliage of every color and wildlife. The trail starts out off of Upper Park Road. I park in the parking lot on the left side of the road in the lot next to the Rod & Gun Club. From the parking lot there is a trail that takes you down towards the creek. Continue down the paved road and soon you will come to a sign reading Yahi Trail next to some stairs. Head down the stairs to start your hike! The first section is fairly level with minor ups and downs and meanders along with the creek just below the trail. After a couple of miles into the hike you come to Bear Hole, a popular swimming hole and summer party place for the college kids. This is a nice place to stop and have a snack or take a rest and take in the views of the black obsidian rocks lining the creek bed and the clear water rushing by them. To continue on its best to backtrack just a few hundred feet to take a trail to take you up and over a hill and connect you to the trail. There are steps at Bear Hole but erosion over the years has made them impassable so its easier to just backtrack a tad and go around. This is where the trail changes scenery for a bit and becomes exposed as you are no longer under the tree cover along the creek. This section of the trail offers expansive views of the canyon walls on both sides and you are now above the creek hundreds of feet. The trail then brings you to Salmon Hole, a large pool of water in the creek also popular for swimming although a lot harder to get to as the decline down the side of the canyon here is steep. Continuing on the trail you start to get back to level with the creek and go through patches of vegetation. The variety of trees and plants in this section give you all the fall colors you could want. After another couple of miles you arrive at a dead end next to the creek. There is no better spot to enjoy your hard work and celebrate a beautiful hike than with a snack along side a creek. After resting for a bit and taking in the serene sounds of the water its time to head back the way you came. If you go to the very end and back from the parking lot you will end up clocking around 8-9 miles. This trail can be shortened to any length that works for you. Sometimes I just hike to Bear Hole or Salmon Hole if I’m in a time crunch.

Butte Creek Trail

This trail is one I just recently discovered and I’ve only done once but it instantly shot up to my top local hikes. I’ve had it saved on my All Trails “Local” list for years but just hadn’t attempted it yet. One day I had a free day and decided to find it and check it out. The trail is located in Magalia which is about an hour up the mountain from my house. To get to the trailhead I headed back up to Paradise and continued on the Skyway until I turned left on Doe Mill Road. The road soon turns into gravel and you continue driving for a few miles. You eventually come to a bridge that goes over the creek. After crossing the bridge there is a turnout on the left hand side and about 100 yards past that is the start of the trail. I turned around in front of the trailhead and parked in the turnout. I walked down the gravel road to the start of the trail and noticed there was only one truck other than mine which belonged to a fisherman parked next to the bridge getting his supplies out of the back. The trail started with gradual terrain of hard packed soil surrounded by a lush forest full of towering trees and brush. I could hear the creek flowing down below. When I went it was October so the ground was covered in leaves and there were pops of fall colors which made it even more beautiful. Soon the trail gets closer to the water making access very easy. The sounds of the rushing water splashing past the rocks gave such a tranquil vibe. After about a half of a mile you come to a small set of stairs and then soon after another, larger set of stairs. Moss covered rocks tower over you on one side of the rail with the creek rushing past you on the other. There are a couple of beautiful waterfalls along the way and the trail eventually ends. The hike is an out and back and I clocked in around 3 miles. I’ve heard this is kind of a local secret hike that not a lot of people know about and I feel so lucky to have found it and I can’t wait to go back again.

Lace up your hiking boots, grab your backpack and head out to check out these trails for yourself. I recommend downloading the All Trails app and using it for directions to the trailhead as well as tracking the route. Walking on these beautiful trails while breathing in the fresh mountain air, while leaves fall all around you, is something you have to experience for yourself. Nature brings a sense of calm and hiking brings a sense of accomplishment and I hope it does the same for you. I hope this post inspires you to explore one of these trails if you’re in the Butte county area. Happy hiking!