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Feather River to Lake Almanor Drive

A long scenic loop: from Chico to the hatchery in Oroville, up the Feather River canyon on Highway 70, over to the west shore of Lake Almanor and Chester, then back down to Chico. It is mostly driving, so start early. Summer is the season for the lake; in winter, Chester averages over 100 inches of snow.

Checked October 29, 2026

  • 1 dayin this plan
  • 6stops, in order
  • 4 h 22 minroad time in all, without traffic
  • 4 h 00 mintime at stops, our estimate
The North Fork Feather River in the Feather River Canyon in summer
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Feather River Scenic Byway on Highway 70 is 130 miles in all; this loop drives the lower canyon. Check Caltrans QuickMap for road work and chain controls before you leave.

Feather River Canyon to Lake Almanor

Day at a glance: 4 h 00 min at stops plus 4 h 22 min on the road = 8 h 22 min, starting 8:00 a.m. and finishing about 4:22 p.m.

  1. 1Downtown ChicoEssential

    Arrive about 8:00 a.m. (our estimate). Start or finish point.

    Start and finish downtown; fill the tank before the canyon. Place page.

  2. About 30 min and 22.8 miles by road from the last stop.

  3. 2Feather River Fish HatcheryOptional

    Arrive about 8:30 a.m. (our estimate). 45 min here (our estimate).

    Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Viewing windows show fish about mid-September through June; salmon spawning weekdays mid-September to mid-November. Place page.

    Dogs: Rules not published.

  4. About 66 min and 47.4 miles by road from the last stop.

  5. 3Belden, North Fork Feather RiverEssential

    Arrive about 10:21 a.m. (our estimate). 45 min here (our estimate).

    A stop in the Highway 70 canyon. Check Caltrans QuickMap before you go. Place page.

    Dogs: Rules not published.

  6. About 62 min and 26.7 miles by road from the last stop.

  7. 4Lake Almanor west shore (Almanor Campground)Essential

    Arrive about 12:08 p.m. (our estimate). 90 min here (our estimate).

    Forest Service campground, generally Memorial Day to Labor Day. No e-bikes on the shore trail. Place page.

    Dogs: Rules not published.

  8. About 14 min and 8.2 miles by road from the last stop.

  9. 5ChesterEssential

    Arrive about 1:52 p.m. (our estimate). 60 min here (our estimate).

    Town near the north end of the lake; Almanor Campground is 12 miles away, per the Forest Service. Place page.

  10. About 90 min and 66.0 miles by road from the last stop.

  11. 6Downtown ChicoEssential

    Arrive about 4:22 p.m. (our estimate). Start or finish point.

    Start and finish downtown; fill the tank before the canyon. Place page.

Map of This Trip

5 of 6 stops are pinned, numbered in plan order. Pins come from OpenStreetMap points for each named place and are not verified entrances or parking areas. Tap a pin for directions. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

If It Rains or a Stop Is Closed

  • Snow or chain controls: check Caltrans QuickMap; Chester averages about 110 inches of snow a year.
  • Outside Memorial Day to Labor Day, Lake Almanor campgrounds are generally closed; the drive still works as a scenic loop.
  • The hatchery is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; skip it on a late start.

How We Timed This

Road times and miles come from OpenStreetMap routing between the stops in this order. They do not include live traffic, road work, closures or parking. Arrival times assume the start time shown, and the minutes at each stop are our own planning estimates, not the operators’. Hours are checked against what each operator posts where we have them.

Events on These Dates

Nothing on our calendar for Lake Almanor & The Feather River from today on yet. We only list a date once we have read it on the organizer’s own page, so here is what comes next. See every upcoming event.

  • Country Pumpkins: October Farm Season

    Runs Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026

    10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

    Country Pumpkins, Orland

    Price: Free admission; corn maze $5, haunted maze $15

    Open daily in October with pumpkins, a petting zoo, hay pyramid and slide, and a daytime corn maze (last entry 5:30 PM). The Haunted Maze runs 7 to 10 PM on select nights, last night Friday, October 30; the farm is closed Halloween.

    Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Source for Country Pumpkins: October Farm Season (opens in a new tab)

What We Could Not Verify

  • Arrival times, minutes at each stop and the Essential or Optional labels are our estimates. Not confirmed
  • Road times exclude traffic, closures and parking. Not confirmed
  • Road time from Chester back to Chico assumes the routing service’s choice of road. Not confirmed

More Plans

Sources

  1. FHWA, Feather River Scenic Byway: https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/byway/2196 (checked October 29, 2026)
  2. CDFW, Feather River Fish Hatchery: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Hatcheries/Feather-River (checked October 29, 2026)
  3. Lassen NF, Almanor Campground: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lassen/recreation/almanor-campground (checked October 29, 2026)
  4. Lassen NF, Lake Almanor trail order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/lassen/alerts/lake-almanor-recreational-trail-restriction (checked October 29, 2026)
  5. Caltrans, roads: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ (checked October 29, 2026)
  6. NOAA NCEI normals, Chester: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/normals-monthly/1991-2020/access/USC00041700.csv (checked October 29, 2026)
  7. OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) for road times: https://project-osrm.org/ (checked October 29, 2026)

Take This Trip With You

Stops in the order this page mentions them, with a driving route in Google Maps. Check hours on each place page first. How far is each stop from where you start? Try the drive-time table.

Open The Route In Google Maps

Trip Loop

Pick an itinerary and see its stops as a closed loop that ends where it starts. Distances are straight lines between pins and approximate; roads are longer. Open the loop in Google Maps for real driving directions.

Cite this page: It's Chico, “Feather River to Lake Almanor Drive”, itschico.com/itineraries/feather-river-to-lake-almanor-drive/ (updated ). By the It's Chico editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.