Butte Recreation

---

Twenty five miles Northeast of Chico, the beautiful Forks of Butte Recreation Area has trails through steep pine and fir covered canyons. This area offers free low-impact gold panning. If you are interested in dredging or sluicing in the area, there are permits available for your mining pleasure. Trails follow steep canyon walls; vegetation overstory is primarily mixed Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir and Madrone. Discharge of firearms is prohibited in this area, except for shooting legal game during legal hunting seasons.

Directions

Travel northeast on State Highway 32 from Chico, 20 miles to Forest Ranch, then southeast on Doe Mill Road (graded dirt road), three and one-half miles to Butte Creek trailhead.

Dredging and Sluicing Permits

Permits are required for mineral collecting (dredging, sluicing, and other collective techniques) in the Forks of Butte Recreation Area. The dredging season in the area runs from the forth Saturday in May through October 15th each year. Applications will be accepted after March 1st each year. Fill out a Special Recreation Permit Application Packet to reserve a site along Butte Creek. The non-refundable fee for this permit is $5 per day. Site may be reserved for up to 28 days in a calendar year (not to exceed 14 consecutive days). See the map for site locations. For more information on Mining see the Mining page.

Gold Panning

No permit is required for low-impact gold panning.

Trails

Trails follow steep canyon walls; vegetation overstory is primarily mixed Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir and Madrone. Upper Ridge Nature Preserve offers many hiking trails.