Camping
There are two campgrounds at Black Butte Lake: Buckhorn and Orland Buttes. Both provide drinking water, picnic tables, fire pits, launch ramps, trailer dump stations, pay telephones, and restroom facilities with showers. Many campsites can easily accommodate recreational vehicles up to 35 feet in length. No electrical hookups are available. The Buckhorn Campground is open all year and contains 65 developed campsites. Orland Buttes Campground is open April through September and has 35 campsites.
Reservations for both campgrounds can be made by caling toll free 1-877-444-6777. Or visit Reserve USA for on-line reservations for Buckhorn Campground or Orland Buttes Campground. Individual campsites can be reserved up to 240 days in advance.
Group Camping
Group camping is available at both the Buckhorn and Orland Buttes areas. Advance reservations through ReserveUSA are required. Reservations for the group use areas may be made up to 360 days in advance.
Ranger Programs
Group dam tours and ranger programs can be scheduled by calling (530) 865-4781. A centrally located amphitheater offers summer campfire programs.
Boating
Powerboats, personal watercraft and sailboats will find ample room for water fun throughout the "v" shaped lake. Sail-boarding is especially popular. Boat ramps are located at Buckhorn, Orland Buttes and Eagle Pass Recreation Areas. Be aware of shallow areas and other hazards that may appear as the lake level changes.
Fishing
Black Butte is well-known throughout California as an excellent warm water fishery, with the best fishing during the spring and early summer. Crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, channel catfish, Florida bluegill and green sunfish are the major game fish. A valid State of California fishing license is required.
Day Use
Three self-guided nature trails offer quiet, pleasurable hikes through the rolling oak foothills. The Buckhorn Recreation Area includes a playground for active tots. Families will enjoy the shady and well maintained picnic facilities available at several locations around the lake.
Wildflowers
Over a several month period in the Spring, wildflowers put on an abundant show for all. Fiddlenecks, California poppies, baby blue eyes, and lupine are just a few of the wildflowers that make an appearance. This is a very good time to take a hike or go for a drive to see what is blooming this week.
Equestrian Areas
Black Butte Lake is very popular with horseback riders looking for a quiet and scenic place to ride. Grizzly Flat and Burris Creek are undeveloped day use areas that have everything the equestrian is looking for. Trails wind through oak woodlands with gentle hills and valleys, offering frequent views of the lake through the trees.
WHEN YOU VISIT:
Please help us make everyone's visit enjoyable by:
- Watching children closely when around water.
- Keeping your pets on a leash at all times.
- Keeping fires confined to grills and pits and using only dead and down wood.
- Maintaining quiet between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Operating vehicles only on designated roads and parking areas provided.
- Camping only in designated campsites.
- Helping clean up litter and keeping a neat campsite..
- Reporting safety hazards to park personnel.
- Reading the park rules, copies of which are posted throughout the park.
All areas are patrolled by Corps of Engineers park rangers and deputies of the Glenn and Tehama County Sheriff's Departments. If you need help, contact a park ranger, deputy sheriff, or dial 9-1-1.
Black Butte Lake was formed in 1963 upon the completion of Black Butte Dam. Located on Stony Creek west of Orland, the lake is an inviting and accessible recreation area on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. When full, the lake has a surface area of 4,460 acres, is seven miles long and has a shoreline of 40 miles. The dam provides flood damage protection for local towns and agricultural lands.
