Highway 70 follows the North Fork Feather River through a steep canyon in the Plumas National Forest between Oroville and Quincy. The Forest Service's Feather River Canyon Recreation Area, about 32 miles west of Quincy, has campgrounds along Caribou Road, and PG&E runs the Belden day-use area on the highway. The route is part of the 130-mile Feather River Scenic Byway. Checked October 29, 2026 on the operator’s own pages.
From Chico: about 1 hr 20 min (typical, without traffic)
Plan It in Three Lines
- Get thereFrom Chico: about 1 hr 20 min, typical, without traffic.
- WhenFeather River Ranger District office: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed midday for lunch.
- CostGansner Bar and Queen Lily single sites: $31 per night; no fee to drive the byway.
Key Facts
- The Feather River Canyon Recreation Area is about 32 miles west of Quincy on Highway 70 and has several campgrounds and trails.[1]
- The area lies on the west branch of the North Fork of the Feather River along Caribou Road and offers canoeing, kayaking, rafting and late-summer berry picking.[1]
- Gansner Bar, North Fork and Queen Lily campgrounds are just off Caribou Road, about 2.5 miles north of Highway 70; Hallstead is on Highway 70.[1]
- Supplies are available in Belden, Twain and Quincy.[1]
- Royal Elk Park Management manages Forest Service recreation sites in the Feather River Canyon.[4]
- Gansner Bar has 17 units on the North Fork; single sites are $31 per night; it closed for the season September 27, 2026.[2]
- Queen Lily has 12 family sites with bear boxes and flush toilets, generally open mid-May to late September, and takes reservations on Recreation.gov.[3]
- PG&E's Belden Day Use Area on Highway 70 has restrooms, 5 picnic tables and exhibits including the Eby Stamp Mill, with the Pacific Crest Trail nearby.[7]
- The Feather River Scenic Byway is a U.S. Forest Service Scenic Byway 130 miles long; there is no fee to drive it.[6]
- Bucks Lake is 17 miles southwest of Quincy or 32 miles northeast of Oroville, and is reached from Oroville by Highway 70 through the canyon or by Oroville-Quincy Highway.[5]
- PG&E runs Bucks Lake campgrounds including Haskins Valley (65 sites), Sundew, Mill Creek and Lower Bucks.[8]
- PG&E says Bucks Lake will be drawn down after Labor Day for dam repairs, making the boat ramps inaccessible around mid-September.[9]
- Caltrans reported one-way controlled traffic on SR 70 in Plumas County near the Highway 89 junction through October 30, 2026, due to construction.[10]
Areas Inside Feather River Canyon on Highway 70
Belden Day Use Area (PG&E)
Rest area on Highway 70 with restrooms, 5 picnic tables and the Eby Stamp Mill exhibit.[7]
Gansner Bar Campground (USFS)
17 units on the North Fork along Caribou Road, with stream-side sites for tents and RVs.[2]
Queen Lily Campground (USFS)
12 shady family sites on the North Fork, about 2.5 miles north of Highway 70 on Caribou Road.[3]
North Fork Campground (USFS)
Campground off Caribou Road with an RV sewer waste station.[1]
Hallstead Campground (USFS)
Campground on Highway 70, 17 miles west of Quincy.[1]
Bucks Lake Recreation Area (USFS)
High mountain lake open year round, with summer water sports and over 100 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in winter.[5]
Haskins Valley Campground (PG&E)
65-site campground at the south end of Bucks Lake with a boat ramp ($10 launch fee for non-campers).[8]
Sundew and Mill Creek Campgrounds (PG&E)
First-come campgrounds at the north end of Bucks Lake near the dam, with 21 and 10 sites.[8]
Plan Your Visit
| What | As the operator states it |
|---|---|
| Run by | USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest; Caltrans (State Route 70); PG&E (Belden day use and Bucks Lake campgrounds) |
| Drive from Chico | About 1 hr 20 min, typical, without traffic (Google Maps, plus 10 minutes, rounded) |
| Hours | Feather River Ranger District office: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed midday for lunch.[1] |
| Season | Queen Lily services are generally available mid-May to late September; Gansner Bar and Queen Lily closed for the 2026 season on September 27.[3] |
| Fees | Gansner Bar and Queen Lily single sites: $31 per night; no fee to drive the byway.[2] |
| Dogs | At Queen Lily, pets must be on leash and attended at all times.[3] |
| Restrooms | Queen Lily and Gansner Bar have flush toilets; Belden Day Use Area has restrooms.[3] |
| Camping | Gansner Bar, North Fork, Queen Lily and Hallstead campgrounds; 14-day limit at Queen Lily.[1] |
| Boating | Canoeing, kayaking and rafting are offered in the recreation area.[1] |
| Reservations | Queen Lily reservations at Recreation.gov; first-come sites can be paid with the Recreation.gov app.[3] |
| Phone | Feather River Ranger District 530-534-6500; Mount Hough Ranger District 530-283-0555; Caltrans road info 1-800-427-7623[1] |
| Official page | USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest; Caltrans (State Route 70); PG&E (Belden day use and Bucks Lake campgrounds) |
Not confirmedThe official pages we read do not publish accessibility for this place.
Hours at a Glance
Season, as printed: Queen Lily services are generally available mid-May to late September; Gansner Bar and Queen Lily closed for the 2026 season on September 27.
Bars are drawn from the hours printed in Plan Your Visit below; a faded or dashed bar means the page prints sunrise or sunset, not a clock time. Today is outlined.
Admission, Side by Side
As the operator prints it: Gansner Bar and Queen Lily single sites: $31 per night; no fee to drive the byway.
Dogs
At Queen Lily, pets must be on leash and attended at all times.
Map of Feather River Canyon on Highway 70
Around Feather River Canyon on Highway 70
- Lake Almanor: 18.0 miles northeast
- Chester: 20.2 miles north
- Paradise Lake: 20.4 miles southwest
- Gold Nugget Museum: 26.4 miles southwest
- Paradise Parks, Trailway and Museums: 27.0 miles southwest
- Butte Creek Canyon: 27.8 miles southwest
The yellow dot is this place. Rings are spaced so close places do not pile up, and a numbered badge may sit slightly off its true spot (a thin line ends at the true spot). Distances are straight-line miles worked out from the map points each page prints; they are not drive times or walking routes.
What We Could Not Verify
These items were not on an official page we could open on October 29, 2026, or two official pages disagree. Check with the operator before you rely on them.
- Not confirmedFeather River Scenic Byway page on fs.usda.gov (none found; byway facts are from the FHWA America's Byways listing)
- Not confirmedExact byway end points
- Not confirmedMiddle Fork and other forks above Oroville (no official page read)
- Not confirmedSwimming rules on the river
- Not confirmedGansner Bar drinking water (same USFS page says water is available and that potable water is not available)
- Not confirmedRanger district for Gansner Bar and Queen Lily (campground pages say Mount Hough; recreation area page names Feather River Ranger District)
- Not confirmedPG&E canyon campgrounds on the North Fork (PG&E camping list shows none in the canyon)
More in Lake Almanor & The Feather River
Coming Up in Lake Almanor & The Feather River
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)October Movies in The Park: Hocus Pocus 2
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
DeGarmo Park, Chico
Price: Free
Halloween movie night with a costume parade at 6:15 PM, food trucks and free popcorn; the film starts at dusk. Bring blankets and lawn chairs.
Checked Oct 29, 2026 · Source for October Movies in the Park: Hocus Pocus 2 (opens in a new tab)Costumed Dog Parade (Corning)
5:30 PM
Yaya's Tacos, Corning
Price: Free
Dog costume parade right after Trick or Treat Street.
Checked Oct 29, 2026 · Source for Costumed Dog Parade (Corning) (opens in a new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the campgrounds in the Feather River Canyon?
Gansner Bar, North Fork and Queen Lily are about 2.5 miles north of Highway 70 on Caribou Road, about 32 miles west of Quincy; Hallstead is on Highway 70.[1]
Is there a fee to drive the Feather River Scenic Byway?
No. The federal byway listing says there are no fees to drive the byway itself.[6]
How do I check Highway 70 road conditions?
Use Caltrans road information online or call 1-800-427-7623 for current highway conditions.[10]
Sources
- Plumas National Forest | Feather River Canyon Recreation Area | Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest. Read October 29, 2026.
- Plumas National Forest | Gansner Bar Campground | Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest. Read October 29, 2026.
- Plumas National Forest | Queen Lily Campground | Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest. Read October 29, 2026.
- Plumas National Forest | Mount Hough Ranger District | Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest. Read October 29, 2026.
- Plumas National Forest | Bucks Lake Recreation Area | Forest Service, USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest. Read October 29, 2026.
- Feather River Scenic Byway | America's Byways, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Read October 29, 2026.
- PG&E Recreation – Day Use & Picnics, Pacific Gas and Electric. Read October 29, 2026.
- PG&E Recreation – Camping, Pacific Gas and Electric. Read October 29, 2026.
- PG&E Recreation (reservations home, notices), Pacific Gas and Electric. Read October 29, 2026.
- Road Conditions – SR 70, Caltrans. Read October 29, 2026.
Cite this page: “Feather River Canyon on Highway 70.” It’s Chico, checked October 29, 2026. https://itschico.com/lake-almanor-feather-river/feather-river-canyon/
Coming Up Here
No dated event at Feather River Canyon on Highway 70 is on our calendar right now. We list a date only after reading it on the organizer’s own page, so an empty list means not listed yet, not that nothing is happening. See every upcoming event.