Upper Bidwell Park
Managed by City of Chico
3,289 acres52.5 mi of trail
Annie Bidwell TrailYahi TrailGuardian TrailMiddle Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bidwell Mansion · Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Chico
Chico has 92 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
26% of Chico’s land is conserved, about 5,697 acres. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5,606 acres are parks and preserves, 55 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #43 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
5,697 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
92 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,606 ac
55 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
64 mi
28 mi lanes · 35 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Chico?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chico have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chico is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #43 of 847 in California. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chico’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (92 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land55 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,606 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 95%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Chico ranks #6 on Outdoors.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Upper Bidwell Park, with 52.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Verbena Fields
Park
20 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Baroni Park
Park
7 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 22 parks & preserves
Upper Bidwell Park3,289 acres · 52.5 mi of trail · City of Chico
DirectionsLower Bidwell Park306 acres · 6.7 mi of trail
DirectionsHooker Oak30 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVerbena Fields20 acres · 1 mi of trail
Wildwood Park11 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBaroni Park7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
20th Street Community Park36 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHancock Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Blue Oak Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDorothy F. Johnson Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsDeGarmo Community Park35 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGoose Island Cove Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Oak Way Park7 acres
DirectionsAnnie's Glen (Bidwell Park)5 acres
DirectionsBidwell Mansion State Historic Park5 acres
DirectionsRotary Centennial Park5 acres
DirectionsPeterson Park5 acres
Bidwell River Park3 acres
DirectionsChildren's Playground3 acres
DirectionsHumboldt Park3 acres
Lost Park2 acres
DirectionsHumboldt Neighborhood Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,697 conserved acres
26% of Chico’s land. Who manages Chico’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city5,735 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits26 ac
Joint14 ac
State parks4 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 3,870 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,175 acLocal Recreation Area · 502 acLocal Other or Unknown · 185 acUnknown Easement · 22 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 22 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 60 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidwell Park Local Park | Town or city | 3,564 | Open |
| Bidwell Ranch Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 750 | Open |
| Foothill Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 362 | Open |
| City Designated Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 250 | Open |
| Little Chico Creek Greenway Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 190 | Closed |
| Lindo Channel Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 132 | Open |
| Teichert Pond Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| 20th Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| DeGarmo Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Preserve Areas Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
137 places to go in Chico
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Chico
Alligator HoleIn Upper Bidwell Park
DirectionsBear HoleIn Upper Bidwell Park
DirectionsSalmon HoleIn Upper Bidwell Park
DirectionsPlus 1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Chico
Sycamore PoolIn Lower Bidwell Park
DirectionsPlus 3 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Chico
Caper AcresIn Lower Bidwell Park
Directions80 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Waterfalls in Chico
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Chico
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Chico
Five MileIn Upper Bidwell Park
Directions34 picnic areas are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Disc golf in Chico
Sherwood Forest Kid's Disc Golf CourseIn Hooker Oak
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Chico
3 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 30.9 miHorses · 3.0 miUnpaved · 22.8 mi
Annie Bidwell Trail4.8 mi
Yahi Trail4.1 mi
Guardian Trail4.0 mi
Middle Trail3.2 mi
North Rim Trail3.0 mi
South Rim Trail2.1 mi
Upper Trail1.8 mi
B Trail1.5 mi
Lower Trail1.5 mi
Ten Mile House Trail1.2 mi
15 more trails
Upper Upper Trail
1.1 miHumboldt Trail
1.1 miDisc Golf
0.9 miBloody Pin Trail
0.6 miRed Bud
0.5 miPine Trail
0.5 miLive Oak
0.4 miMonkey Face
0.4 miMaidu
0.3 miCave Trail
0.3 mi420 DH
0.2 miLower Cave Trail
0.2 miManzanita Trail
0.1 miLive Oak Trail
0.1 miSalmon Hole Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
64 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
28 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
35 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
85Basketball
46Tennis
30Baseball
28Pickleball
13Soccer
3Volleyball
3Softball
3Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bidwell MansionBuilding · listed 1972
About itStansbury HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itAllen-Sommer-Gage HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itSt. John's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itA. H. Chapman HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itSilberstein Park BuildingBuilding · listed 1983
About itUS Post Office-Chico Midtown StationBuilding · listed 1985
About itSouthern Pacific DepotBuilding · listed 1987
About itSouth of Campus NeighborhoodDistrict · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Chico: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 95 | 91 | 80 | 65 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 5.9 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 5.4 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 5.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Chico →
Next door
Chico and its neighbors
Chico has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | 26% | 2.7 | 55 | 98% | A+ |
| Durham | 2% | 0.3 | 12 | 47% | C+ |
| Butte Creek Canyon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chico
Where can I hike in Chico?
The longest trail networks: Upper Bidwell Park, 52.5 miles; Lower Bidwell Park, 6.7 miles; Hooker Oak, 1.2 miles; Verbena Fields, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chico is conserved land?
26% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Chico’s trails?
Upper Bidwell Park and Lower Bidwell Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chico?
64 miles of bike routes are on the map: 28 of painted or protected lanes, 35 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Chico?
21,538 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chico or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,606 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chico have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #43 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Chico neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →