If you get the chance to spend some time in Butte County and specifically Oroville, CA
You do not want to miss out on seeing  the items on the list below.
There is much more to see than this list, so just ask for the rest.

 Drive Over the Nation's Tallest Dam  -   Oroville Dam
Follow Oro Dam Blvd. East or Follow the "Green Line" on Montgomery St. to the Dam.
For more Info: 530-370-4606
The Dam was completed in 1968, it stands 770 feet high and is 6,920 feet across the top.
It is the tallest and one of the largest earthen dams in the USA. Tailings
from the gold dredging era make up most of the material used in construction.
A picnic area overlooks the dam & has restroom facilities. The dam area is
also a favorite of local swimmers. Beneath the dam, a cavern almost as large
as the state capitol building has been hollowed out to house six power
generation units. Coupled with four units in the Thermalito Power Plant,
they generate more than 2.8 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually.
Lake Oroville, which the dam created, has a surface area of 24 square miles
and a shoreline of 167 miles, including many waterfalls in the Spring.

Walk Across California's  First Suspension Bridge
Bidwell Bar Suspension Bridge
South End of Lake Oroville in Bidwell Canyon
Off Kelly Ridge Road
In 1856, a suspension bridge was swung across the Feather River at Bidwell Bar,
site of the county's first gold mining community. It's towers, manufactured in
New York and brought around the Horn, the bridge was the first of it's type in
California and was closed to traffic in 1954.
Prior to the construction of Oroville Dam, the bridge was dismantled and relocated
in Bidwell Canyon. The first Saturday of every May, the Bidwell Bar Day celebration
is held here featuring demonstrations of pioneer crafts, gold panning, food and
entertainment. The Toll House Museum there is open on Saturdays during the summer.

Great Camping & the Best Fishing in the State
Lake Oroville Recreation Area
east of Oroville, off Olive Hwy. (162)
Campsite Reservations:
800-444-PARK (7275)
Park Headquarters • 530-538-2200
www.dwr.water.ca.gov/lakeoroville
Camping opportunities abound at this State Recreation Area, including boat-in
campsites and ten two-tiered floating campsites, along with the more typical
all-terrain and RV hookup sites.
For marina information (houseboat & other boat rentals, etc.), please email us.
If it's bass you're after, you'll be pleased to know that Bassmaster magazine
ranks Lake Oroville as the "Best Bass Fishing Spot in California," and held a
regional tournament here in November of 1999 and another in November 2001.
And bass aren't the only type of fish you'll find. Coho salmon, catfish, mackinaw,
and brown trout can all be found here.

See the House that Olives Built - Ehmann Home
Lincoln at Robinson • 530-533-5316
Open for tours Thursdays, 11-3
Butte County Historical Society Museum
1749 Spencer Ave. • 530-533-9418
Sat. 11-3
Butte County Historical Society Archives
2335 Baldwin Ave. • 530-533-9418
Thurs.-Fri., 9-Noon
Freda Ehmann, "Mother of the Ripe Olive Industry," and her son, Edwin, built this
Colonial Revival Craftsman home in 1911 after she'd perfected a curing process for
ripe olives and had markets across the nation. Edwin served as mayor here from 1919-23.
Open for tours on Thursdays from 11-3, the home features lovely wainscoting, hardwood
floors, fireplaces, intricate stained glass windows, and antique furniture including
a Chickering piano that came around the Horn. The home is available for weddings &
other events.
BCHS Museum features rotating Collector's Corner exhibits. It houses Ishi's jailcell
door, early gold scales, photographs, an amazingly detailed dollhouse, an Erle Stanley
Gardner exhibit and many videos.
Research assistance and sale of books, Diggin's (BCHS' quarterly publication),
and Ehmann olives are offered at the Archives. Gifts are offered in all three venues.

Bike Along a River & Across a Dam
41-Mile Freeman Bicycle Trail
530-533-7885
Completed in 1996, this trail provides 41 miles of scenic off-road recreational
riding for All Terrain Bicycles.  Over 30 miles of the trail are flat with some
slightly rolling terrain. There are two steep grades within a 2-mile distance
from Lake Oroville on each side of the Dam. In fact, the trail on the North side
of the Dam was the site (1 of 7) of the California State Downhill Championship
Series Race, a 1.5-mile single track trail with 37 turns and 750 feet of vertical drop.
All segments of this exceptional trail have their own elements of beauty. Rolling
oaks, scattered pines, beautiful meadows (filled with wildflowers in the Spring),
creek crossings, panoramic views of Oroville, the Sacramento Valley, and the Sutter
Buttes, lovely park, river, and afterbay scenes, and many species of birds are all
found here.  Maps of the Freeman Bicycle Trail are available at Greenline Cycles,
1911 Montgomery (corner of Huntoon), at the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce,
1789 Montgomery Street, and at the Lake Oroville Visitor's Center.

Watch the Trains Go By
Western Pacific Brewing & Dining
Oliver & High Sreets
(530) 534-9101
Where better to watch the trains go by than in Oroville's original Western Pacific
Railway Station? This beautiful structure has been lovingly restored and turned
into a first-class restaurant and lounge.
A wonderful, new, steam engine mural has just been painted on a wall in the entryway.
If you're there when things aren't terribly busy, one of the staff members will enjoy
telling you a little of the building's history, and we love the regular passing of the trains.
Whenever you go, we suggest that you stay for a meal. We've left there smiling after
each dining experience.

The Sky's the Limit
Oroville Municipal Airport
Oro Dam Blvd. West
Two-Three Miles Past the Bridge
Rates/Reservations: 530-533-1313
If you think you've seen all there is to see in the Oroville area, don't be too sure
unless you've seen it all from a plane.  Lake Oroville is great on the ground, but WOW,
what a perspective you get when you're airborne. You'll also spot the Feather River as
it winds its way around the area.  Scenic tours are available at reasonable rates,
and it's a great way to spend an hour or two. Gorgeous!

Welcome to Oroville, CA   USA


email:    info@GatewayToOroville.com

or visit the Contact Us page