Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve
Managed by California State University, Chico
538 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto BCCER public parkingWebsite ↗
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Forest Ranch
Forest Ranch has 543 acres of parks, 283 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (1.8 mi). 8% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8% of Forest Ranch’s land is conserved, about 694 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
694 acres · of 13.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.3 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
543 ac
283 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
3,527 ft
Platte Mountain
What kind of outdoors town is Forest Ranch?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Forest Ranch have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Forest Ranch is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Ranch’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land283 acres of park per 1,000 residents (543 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 62%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to 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 Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forks of Butte Creek Recreation Area
Managed by Bureau of Land Management
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
694 conserved acres
8% of Forest Ranch’s land. Who manages Forest Ranch’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits634 ac
Joint522 ac
U.S. Forest Service55 ac
Private Conservation · 539 acConservation Easement · 522 acUnknown Easement · 95 acNational Forest · 55 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 100 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 539 | Open |
| Lassen Other National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 55 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Forest Ranch
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Forest Ranch
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Forest Ranch
Platte Mountain3,527 ft elevation
DirectionsWhen to get out
The best walking months in Forest Ranch: May and June
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) | 54 | 57 | 61 | 66 | 75 | 85 | 92 | 91 | 87 | 75 | 60 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 10.7 | 10.2 | 8.9 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 6.0 | 11.2 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 11.2 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Forest Ranch →
Questions about parks and trails in Forest Ranch
Where can I hike in Forest Ranch?
The longest trail networks: Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Forest Ranch is conserved land?
8% 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 Forest Ranch’s trails?
Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve and Forks of Butte Creek Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Forest Ranch?
34,444 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Forest Ranch or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 914 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Forest Ranch have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Forest Ranch 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 →