Hike Information:
Distance: 3.9 miles round trip (up and back)
Time: 2 hours (approximately, with ample time to explore at the caves)
Travel time from Chico: 45 minutes (depending on where you live)
These Indian Caves are located in Butte Creek Canyon in Chico, California. The hike to the caves is a little less than 4 miles (round trip) along a series of connected flumes and flat trails. While the hike itself is very mild and should be accessible for most folks, getting up into the caves requires some effort and might be difficult for young children or individuals with less than sure footing. Even if you don't plan to trek up into the caves, this hike is beautiful and the caves can be fairly well observed from below.
UPDATE: This area was impacted by the Camp Fire and there have been some changes along the trail. Thanks to a fellow hiker, we’ve been able to update some of the trail information and add a few new photos to better reflect the current condition of the trail. I am always so appreciative when people reach out - thank you!
***Just a note, the initial trail is fairly obvious but the last quarter-mile to the caves can be a little tricky. I would suggest looking over the photos before heading out as I had it explained to me verbally twice and still found it to require some trial and error the first trek.
From downtown Chico, the drive is approximately 14 miles - about half an hour. To start, take Skyway Road towards Paradise. Turn left on to Honey Run Road. Continue on Honey Run Road past the covered bridge. At a little less than 10 miles, Honey Run Road veers slightly to the left and becomes Centerville Road. This is the road you want to follow. There should be signs for Centerville Museum. You will pass the Colman (Centerville) Museum on your right. Continue on the road for another 1.5 miles until you reach a small right-side turnoff. If there are already cars parked here, you can continue up on the road and there are several other small turnoffs where parking is possible.
There is no marked trailhead for this hike. The hike begins atop the flumes on the right-hand side (SEE PHOTO BELOW). On the left-hand side there is also a flume trail (SEE PHOTO BELOW). This trail is a flat, easy meander as well but without amazing caves at the end.
Continue on the flumes trail for about a mile and a half. It will fluctuate between a dirt trail and a series of connected metal grates over the
flume. At approximately the 1.5 mile mark, the trail will dead
end. There is what appears to be some old mining equipment and a small building that looks like a cabin (SEE PHOTO BELOW). Just to the left of
the building, you will see another small trail. Take this trail as it winds
gently up to the left.
***Note: there are several places along this trail where multiple paths intersect. You want to continue to go straight up. The most confusing intersection comes when two trail intersect in an "x" shape (SEE PHOTO BELOW) - as mentioned above, continue up and straight - not to the left or right. You will know you are on the right path when you see the Pretzel Tree on your right about five minutes after leaving the flume (SEE PHOTO). UPDATE: unfortunately the Pretzel Tree was well charred during the Camp Fire. Continue straight on this trail for another 200 feet until you reach a large boulder to your right (now marked with cairn- SEE PHOTO). Follow the path to the right down the hill past the boulder. At this point, the trail becomes virtually non-existent and is covered with fallen trees burned by the Camp Fire. Continue down, staying just below the ledge, for several minutes and you should be able to look up and see the caves on the left. The first two caves are the most easy to access by climbing up the rocks to the left of the trail. DO NOT STOP AFTER THE FIRST TWO CAVES! The first time I explored this area, we did not continue to forge ahead on the trail after the exploring these two caves because it did not look very well-traveled. It is worth continuing on as there are three more cave sites. These caves are steeper and less easily accessed but can be observed from the trail and are truly breathtaking.
This hike is far from intense. It is also a little trickier to traverse than would be ideal. However, the caves are something not easily experienced elsewhere and are well-worth the trek. As always, please be respectful of the area. I couldn't help but awe at the fact that these caves are still accessible to the public as they are indeed something to be protected.
You will see this "trailhead" on the left-hand side of the road. You can stroll along this scenic flume trail as well but it is NOT the way to the caves.
START HERE!
The flume trail dead ends at this collection of old machinery and single metal building. To continue on the dirt trail to the caves, walk past the building and you will see a trail leading up and slightly to the left. Take it!
The trail begins with a slight incline but quickly evens out. After several minutes of walking, you should see this pretzel tree to your right - it is a helpful indicator (though one we did not create) that you are on the right path.
While the many excellent Butte Creek Canyon trails are lovely to explore, their intersections can be difficult to navigate. In heading to the caves there are two places where the trail intersects in a slightly tilted "x" or "t" shape (depending on how you are looking at it). The most helpful hint is to continue "most straight." It isn't a perfect straight line but look ahead and take the path that is the most direct and do not turn left or right until....
YOU SEE THIS ROCK TO YOUR RIGHT.
While there is no doubt that you will see several rocks throughout the course of this excursion, the trail passes directly by THIS ROCK on your right-hand side. Previously, there was a telephone pole to the left of this rock but it appears to have been burned during the Camp Fire. A helpful fellow hiker has marked this rock with cairn (SEE NEXT PHOTO).
TAKE THE TRAIL TO THE RIGHT - it will be difficult to spot through all the fallen trees but it is there. There is no doubt that it looks less traversed than the trail that continues straight ahead but it is time to turn. Do not fear the bushes ahead, the path continues through them right alongside the caves.
The boulder mentioned above has been marked with cairn by a fellow hiker.
As noted, the trail is less well marked as you get closer to the caves. While it is faint, it is visible. Continue to follow it as it makes its way through the brush.
Follow the trail through the brush and begin to look up. You should be able to see the caves. There will be a rocky ledge to your left. Explore along the ledge until you find an area where you feel comfortable climbing up into the caves. Be warned: the climb is steep and the rocks are slippery in several places with less than sure footing. While the sights from the caves are beautiful, they might be best enjoyed from below for those who doubt their balance and footwork.
A view of the first two caves taken from below.
The first two caves are the most accessible and the views are majestic. The first time I visited them, we stopped after the second cave. On the most recent trek, my friend and I noticed that the trail continued (as seen here). It is even more faint but is worth following as we discovered...THREE MORE CAVES. We were not able to climb up into these caves but they were beautiful and amazing to explore visually from below.
Hike Information:
Distance: 4.8 miles round trip (up and back)
Time: 2 hours (approximately, with a break at the falls)
Travel time from Chico: 1 hour
Chambers Creek Falls is located in Plumas National Forest just outside of Butte County. The hike to the falls is 4.8 miles (up and back, round trip) of steep switchbacks. While the hike is fairly difficult (on the way up), the falls are beautiful and with stops along the way, this hike should be accessible for most folks. My partner and I hiked at a fairly moderate pace and were able to make it to the falls and back in about two hours, including a 20 minute or so stop halfway.
From Chico, the drive is approximately 60 miles, about an hour. To start, take Highway 99 south towards Oroville. Next, take the Durham Pentz exit off Highway 99 and turn left, toward Butte College. Follow Durham Pentz Road through the stoplight until it ends. Turn right and drive about half a mile until you reach Highway 70. Turn left on to Highway 70. Follow Highway 70 along the Feather River for approximately 30 miles. The trailhead is located just past the signs for the town of Tobin, on the left. To the right of the trailhead is an abandoned campground (no restrooms). If you reach the town of Belden, you have gone too far.
The trailhead is marked with a fairly visible sign and there is ample parking. We have now completed this hike twice (during the winter), and have never come across fellow hikers on the trail so it is fairly private. From the trailhead, proceed through the gate and walk along the wide path. DO NOT CONTINUE ON THIS PATH. Follow the pictures below and veer towards the right after about 100 feet. THIS IS NOT WELL MARKED. You should see a small metal grate, use it to traverse the creek and continue upwards on the trail.
Once you reach the falls, the trail continues onwards. We have read some hiking guides that suggest that this trail eventually reaches Murphy Lake after another 2 miles of uphill climb however, we are yet to reach the lake. We recently continued on the trail for a little over two miles with no lake in sight.
We have really enjoyed this as a great, half-day winter hike. In January, parts of the falls were frozen which were beautiful as well. I imagine the hike would be fairly hot during the summer but the falls could make for a great swimming spot.
As noted above, veer to the right here towards the more narrow trail. You should cross a small creek in just a few paces (it may be dry during the summer months but the metal grate should remain). From here, follow the trail up along the switchbacks, it should be easily tracked to the falls from here.
After Deer Creek, this would be the next local favorite!
Hike Information:
Distance: 3.6 miles round trip (up and back)
Time: 1.5 hours (approximately, with a short stop at the top)
Travel time from Chico: 80 minutes
This trail is a series of steep switchbacks (on the way up), so mostly downhill on the way back. While it is far from the most remarkable of treks, if you happen to be in the Belden Town area and are looking for a (fairly) quick outdoor workout - it's not the worst way to spend a few hours.
***The area was impacted by a fire a few years ago and the trail was closed for some time following the fire. While the trail is open currently, there are still many fallen trees and branches on the path. This trek, in the trail's current state, is not ideal for dogs or small children as it is necessary to climb up or through several large fallen logs and tree branches. ***
From Chico, the drive is approximately 60 miles -about an hour and twenty minutes. To start, take Highway 99 south towards Oroville. Next, take the Durham Pentz exit off Highway 99 and turn left, toward Butte College. Follow Durham Pentz Road through the stoplight until it ends. Turn right and drive about half a mile until you reach Highway 70. Turn left on to Highway 70. Follow Highway 70 along the Feather River for approximately 35 miles. The trailhead is located on the left, in the same parking lot as the Belden Rest Area. Directly across the street is the bridge into Belden Town.
In the same parking lot where the trailhead is located there are bathrooms, a pretty cool old Stamp Mill artifact from the Feather River gold mining days and a nice picnic area. The trailhead reads Indian Springs Trail because the trail is actually two in one. We were looking for a shorter day hike, so we only hiked to Indian Creek Hill but plan to go back soon to do the full day Indian Springs Trail hike.
Both trails start from the same trailhead and follow up a series of steep switchbacks for approximately 1.5 miles. After a mile and a half, there is a small sign nailed to a tree that directs hikers to veer left for another .3 miles to Indian Creek Hill or proceed straight for another 4.8 miles to Indian Springs. The top of Indian Creek Hill is pretty, as all hilltops seem to be in Plumas County, but for the beauty we have experienced on previous Plumas National Forest hikes, we found the sights at the end of this trek to be less amazing than we had hoped. However, we do love this area and are looking forward to exploring the longer Indian Springs excursion.
To the left of the bathroom is a small staircase that leads to a nice picnic area.
Picnic area.
To the right of the bathrooms is this informational gazebo and the Belden Powerhouse. There is also a trail here labeled Yellow Creek Trail- we haven't explored this trail yet but are hoping to check it out another time and perhaps find a good swimming hole.
Remnants from the mining that was done along the Feather River.
There are a series of fallen trees along the trail - it turns this short trek into a bit of an obstacle course. This was one of the most tricky areas as the trail does appear to continue to the left however, to stay on the Indian Springs Trail continue up to the right. There appears to be a burnt trail sign here just to the right of the tree. As stated above, continue up to the right. While there are many places that will require some tree hopping, this is not one of them.
At one time, this was likely a helpful hiking sign. However after the fire, little is left to point hikers in the right direction. To stay on the trail, continue up and to the right. No need to climb over the trees to the left - there will be plenty of opportunities for that just up ahead.
At approximately one and half miles into the hike, this sign is located on a tree to the right of the trail. To continue on the short hike to "Indian Creek Hill", head to the left. The trail will continue straight ahead for another 4.8 miles to Indian Springs.
To continue on the trail to "Indian Springs", follow the trail straight ahead here. For a much shorter hike to "Indian Creek Hill", turn left here.
The view from the top of "Indian Creek Hill."
While we enjoyed our time in the forest, this hike was not our favorite. We do plan to return to the area to complete the Indian Springs hike and check out the Yellow Creek Trail as well. As has been our previous experience in Plumas National Forest, we did not come across any fellow hikers throughout the course of this trek which does make hikes here feel special and rare.
Hike Information:
Distance: 4.3 miles round trip (out and back)
Time: 2 hours (approximately, with a break at the end to swim)
Travel time from Chico: 1 hour
The Deer Creek trail is located in Lassen National Forest in Tehama County. Currently (and for about the past year), it is my favorite hike. The trail is easy to follow and a mostly flat four-mile(ish) round-trip trek which makes it highly accessible for most folks. Rocky crags rise up alongside to the right of the trail and the creek flows consistently to the left. There are also many great spots to stop for rests, picnics and swims along the way- including Lower Deer Creek Falls which is located just a little over two miles into the hike.
From Chico, the drive is approximately 43 miles - about an hour. To start, take Highway 32 East towards Forest Ranch. Follow Highway 32 for a little over 40 miles. You will know you are close when you pass over the ORANGE bridge. Just past this bridge to the right, you will see a small parking area and what appears to be a trailhead post however, THE TRAILS DOES NOT START HERE. This is a great place to park but to reach the Deer Creek trailhead you must cross the road and head back towards the orange bridge. Just to the left of the bridge you will see the trailhead sign for Deer Creek. The trail begins here and is easy to follow for the duration of the hike. If you reach the Potato Patch Campground, you have gone too far.
As noted earlier, this trail is not tricky. While there are many great places to stop that are visible from the trail, there are some spots that are especially serene. While the creek starts out shallow, it gets deeper as you continue. A little over a mile into the hike, you will see a sign that reads Big Leaf Pool - this is a great place to stop and swim but be sure to continue on as the falls are less than 3/4 of a mile away. The best way to see the falls is to take one of the small paths leading down from the main trail. There is also a fish ladder near this area. In October, a friend and I saw some salmon in the large pool at the bottom of the falls. I had never seen salmon in the wild which was pretty amazing. After checking out the falls, it is worth continuing on another quarter of a mile. At approximately 2.2 miles into the hike, the trail will split. Veer slightly towards the left and you will see a large flat area. While I have never camped here, it is obvious that others have by the large fire ring. If you continue past the fire pit there is a great swimming hole with a small waterfall and deep waters to enjoy.
The trail does continue on from here. We have done some exploring beyond this point but the trail primarily appears to widen into a logging road and does not continue to follow the creek. The best parts of this trek really do seem to be in those first 2+ miles.
While Lower Deer Creek Falls are not as impressive as some others we have explored, this is a really great hike! It is one we have completed during nearly every season and are still yet to be overwhelmed with fellow hikers. Even during the summer, the hike is manageable as the large pine trees provide shade in several areas and the swimming holes are plentiful.
Be on the lookout for this orange bridge. It crosses over Deer Creek. Parking for the trail is just a few yards past this bridge to the left.
This pull-off is the best place to park. However, the trail does not start here. There is a small path that travels down to the creek just to the right of the pull-off but to reach the Deer Creek trailhead, you must cross the street and head back towards the orange bridge. There is a fairly well marked sign just to the right of the bridge.
The trail starts...here!
Approximately one mile into the hike on the left-hand side is Bigleaf Pool. It's a great place to stop for a mid-hike swim or picnic.
Past the falls at approximately 2.2 miles into the hike, the trail splits. Take the smaller trail towards the left to reach another great swimming hole.
The waters here are deep and great for swimming. There is a fairly large open flat area as well.
THIS HIKE IS AWESOME!
Hike Information:
Distance: 3.25 miles round trip (up and back)
Time: 2 - 2.5 hours (approximately, with ample time to stop along the way. It took us around 2.5 hours including a stop for lunch and some exploration.)
Travel time from Chico: 50 minutes (depending on where you live)
We just recently discovered this hiking spot. It consists of three different trail options and is located just outside of Magalia. We had never explored this area before and started with the hike the furthest up the road as we had heard there were a series of beautiful waterfalls that would be flowing this time of year. We were not disappointed!
Having never driven to this area before, we had a couple of moments of feeling like we might have taken a wrong turn but ended up finding it without too much trouble. If you glance at the pictures below for some visual markers, it should be easy to locate.
***Just a note, while we found this trail to be well maintained and not too strenuous in most areas, this hike requires some solid shoes - preferably waterproof - as there are several spots along the way where the waterfalls cascade down into the trail. We did this hike in late January after several weeks of regular rain showers so it is likely that this area may typically be much drier than we experienced.***
From downtown Chico, the drive is around 25 miles but takes a little under an hour due to the gravel roads. To start, take Skyway Road towards Paradise. Continue up the Skyway passing through the main part of Magalia. Turn left on Powellton Road. Shortly after you turn on Powellton Road, it will intersect with Doe Mill Road. Powellton Road takes a slight right but you will want to stay more to the left and continue on Doe Mill Road.
A little under a mile from the Skyway turn off, you will cross over a small bridge. Continue over the bridge on Doe Mill Road. Shortly after, you will see the sign for "Forks of Butte Creek Recreation Area" (SEE PHOTO). The road splits into three at this point but you want to continue straight ahead past this sign. At this point, you will continue on this road for a little over two miles. As you wind down this road, there are several turn offs for private driveways but you are on the right path. Continue on until you reach a large bridge that crosses over the creek (SEE PHOTO). Before the bridge, you will see a trail marker to the right but you want to continue over the bridge. You will see another sign for "Forks of Butte Creek: Butte Creek Trail." There is another trail marker and small parking spot directly to the right of this sign however, we continued up the road to the third trail marker on the left hand side of the road (SEE PHOTO). There are several small turnoffs above the "Forks of Butte Creek" sign where parking is possible.
The trail meanders along the creek for the duration of the hike. There were a series of beautiful waterfalls (this time of year) and lots of spots along the trail to steer off and head down to the water.
***Shortly after the trail begins, it is intersected by a gravel road. The trail continues up and across the road (SEE PHOTO) however, there is a neat PG&E power dam at the end of the gravel road (SEE PHOTO) that is interesting to explore before heading back up the trail.
We were told that the trail continued approximately 2.5-3 miles (one-way) until it dead-ended into a road where there was some old mining equipment. We continued on the trail to the end but at approximately 1.6 miles in, it becomes difficult to follow and required scaling up several sleek rock surfaces. If we were to do this hike again (as we plan to do) we would stop at the final main waterfall (approximately 1.62 miles in) and head back. You can continue along the trail should you be in an exploratory mood (and equipped with good hiking shoes) but we found that the best part of the hike was in the first mile and a half.
We are definitely curious to explore the two other trail options here and to head down to some of the excellent swimming spots that divert off this trail come summer.
This sign is visible off to the right on Doe Mill Road as you enter the Forks of Butte Creek Recreation Area. This is also where the road splits into three. Continue straight past this sign and down the road for approximately two miles at which point the road will cross a large bridge.
Large bridge - crossover and continue up past the "Forks of Butte Creek: Butte Creek Trail" sign until you see the small white trail head on the left-hand side.
Trail head. There are three - one on the right-hand side before the large bridge, another on the right-hand side right after the bridge and then this third one which is the furthest up the road and the only trail head that begins on the left-hand side. This is the beginning of the hike we explored.
If you are on the right trail, you will see this kiosk to the right of the path just a few paces into the hike.
Several minutes into the hike, the trail is intersected by a gravel road that goes down to a dam. The trail continues across the road but the dam at the bottom is worth taking a short detour to explore.
Dam at the end of the gravel road.
This hike was especially beautiful due to all the waterfalls (we counted 4 significant falls) that poured down across the trail. During the drier months, there may be less falls but the trail would likely be breathtaking any time of year due to the continuous view of the creek that follows along the trail for the entire duration of the hike.
There is a section of the trail that is fairly steep but we found that a piece of rope was already in place to help make traversing this section much easier.
We liked this hike a lot. It was really beautiful and we are excited to explore some of the swimming spots in the warmer months. However, we tend to try to seek out hikes that are not so populated and we did see several fellow hikers. Regardless, we will definitely be back for some swimming and to check out the two other hiking trails in this area.
