Big Chico Creek is a creek in northeastern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
that originates near Colby Mountain in
Lassen National Park. It flows
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 10, 2011 to its confluence with the
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River ( es, RÃo Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento†...
in
Butte County. The creek's elevation declines from above sea level at its head to where it joins the Sacramento River, as shown on the Ord Ferry USGS quadrangle. Big Chico Creek forms part of the demarcation between the
Sierra Nevada and the
Cascade Range.
A portion of Big Chico Creek flows through the city of
Chico's Bidwell Park
Bidwell Park is a Urban park, municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905, through the donation by Annie Bidwell, widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell, of approximately of land to the City of Chico. Since ...
and
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university h ...
.
Natural history
There are numerous plant and animal species in the
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...
zone and entire watershed of Big Chico Creek. A threatened species of
Chinook Salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...
make annual spawning runs up Big Chico Creek to the area of Higgin's Hole. Among the wildflowers documented in the watershed is the yellow mariposa lily, ''
Calochortus luteus
''Calochortus luteus'', the yellow mariposa lily, is a mariposa lily endemic to California.
Description
The primarily bright deep yellow flower is 3–5 cm across and perianth bulb-shaped, lined red-brown inside, often also with central re ...
''.
[C. Michael Hogan. 2009]
See also
*
Little Chico Creek
Little Chico CreekU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 3, 2012 is a perennial stream in Butte County, California. It descends the Sierra Nevada foothills from a spring o ...
References
* C. Michael Hogan. 2009
''Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg* United States Geological Survey. 1981.
Notes
Tributaries of the Sacramento River
Rivers of Butte County, California
Rivers of Tehama County, California
Geography of Chico, California
Geography of the Sacramento Valley
Rivers of Northern California
{{California-river-stub