Butte Creek is a tributary to the
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River () 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–San Joaquin River D ...
, joining the river in the vicinity of
Colusa, California
Colusa is a city in and the county seat of Colusa County, California, located in the Sacramento Valley region of the Central Valley. The population was 6,411 at the 2020 census, up from 5,971 at the 2010 census. Colusa originates from the l ...
, United States. About in length,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed March 10, 2011 it runs through much of
Butte County, California
Butte County () is a county located in the northern central part of the U.S. state of California. In the 2020 census, its population was 211,632. The county seat is Oroville.
Butte County comprises the Chico, California, metropolitan stat ...
(the county, however, receives its name from the
Sutter Buttes
The Sutter Buttes (Maiduan languages, Maidu: ''Histum Yani'' or ''Esto Yamani'', Wintuan languages, Wintun: ''Olonai-Tol'', Nisenan language, Nisenan: ''Estom Yanim'') are a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes which rise as but ...
in
Sutter County, California
Sutter County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 99,633. The county seat is Yuba City, California, Yuba City. Sutter County is includ ...
). It travels through a spectacular mini-Grand Canyon as it reaches the Sacramento Valley floor, where it then flows somewhat south and west of the city of
Chico towards the southwestern corner of the county.
Recent efforts have brought back
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
and
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...
runs to the stream.
There are several dams in its upper reaches. The
PG&E has facilities at
Centerville. The
Paradise Irrigation District has Paradise Dam impounding Paradise Lake and the smaller Magalia Dam just beneath it on Little Butte Creek.
The creek was notable for the
Honey Run Covered Bridge, which at 132 years old was the last remaining three-level covered bridge in the United States when it was destroyed on November 8, 2018 by the catastrophic
Camp Fire.
The
Colman Museum, headquartered in
Chico, California
Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...
, is dedicated to preserving the history and beauty of the Butte Creek canyon.
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...
on Butte Creek is popular, in part because of the outstanding scenery of the "Little Grand Canyon" section of the creek near Chico.
See also
*
List of rivers in California
References
External links
Paradise Irrigation DistrictFriends of the River
{{Central Valley Rivers
Rivers of Butte County, California
Tributaries of the Sacramento River
Geography of the Sacramento Valley
Rivers of Northern California