photograph©Plumas County Visitors Authority |
Rugged canyons, crystal clear lakes, grassy meadows, trout-filled streams, fresh pine forests, star-filled skies – they all await you in beautiful Plumas County. Located in northeastern California, less than an hour’s drive north of Reno or Lake Tahoe, Plumas County boasts more than 100 lakes, 1,000 miles of rivers and streams and over a million acres of national forest, with only eight people per square mile. This rural, four-seasons mountain retreat offers solitude, an unhurried pace and an abundance of recreation and small town events.
About 25 miles north of Reno, the Feather River National Scenic Byway (Hwy. 70) takes travelers on a scenic adventure as it traverses west across Plumas County from Hallelujah Junction all the way to Oroville. Just past Chilcoot’s famous Wiggins Trading Post, the gateway to Frenchman Lake, lies the cattle-grazing country of the Sierra Valley, the largest valley in the Sierra Nevada. Here at the headwaters of the Feather River is habitat prime for bird watching.
The city of Portola lies at the valley’s western edge. Spend a day at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, or visit the Williams House and Jim Beckwourth museums. Take a stroll, jog or bike ride along Portola’s Riverwalk, browse two shopping districts, or head north to nearby Lake Davis, known for excellent trophy trout fishing and camping.
A short drive west of Portola and south on Hwy. 89 takes visitors to the village of Graeagle, a former lumber mill, with its quaint array of identical red buildings that house shops and services. Six golf courses, numerous restaurants, lodging establishments, and campsites cater to visitors. The Graeagle Mill Pond is a popular swimming and picnicking area. The Lakes Basin Recreation Area just south of town offers dozens of great fishing lakes and miles of hiking trails.
A short trip west leads to Plumas-Eureka State Park in Johnsville. This early mining town contains a few unrestored gold rush-era structures, a museum and numerous campsites and trails. Eureka Bowl, which hosts the annual Longboard Ski Revival Series races, attracts history buffs as well as Nordic and downhill skiers.
Quincy, an easy half-hour drive west, has a historic Main Street, featuring an imposing four-story courthouse. The Plumas County Museum, theatres, art galleries and a shopping district are worth a stroll. From Quincy, take the half-hour drive to the pristine wilderness of Bucks Lake. Boating, camping, hiking, fishing, mountain biking and swimming are some favorite summer pastimes, while winter highlights are snowplay, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
The Feather River Canyon between Quincy and Oroville is an awesome gorge carved by the river through granite. Impressive tunnels, historic hydroelectric powerhouses, railroad bridges, hiking trailheads, and the Eby Stamp Mill are among many attractions at varying elevations. This lowest pass through the Sierra Nevada is known as an “all-weather route” and offers seasonal highlights of spring wildflowers, waterfalls and stunning fall foliage.
Further along Hwy. 89 is Lake Almanor, (which also can be reached from Reno by traveling north on Hwy. 395 to Susanville, then west on Hwy. 36 to Chester). With 52 miles of evergreen-lined shoreline, Lake Almanor is known as a “mini-Tahoe, without the crowds.” The community of Chester at the northern end of the lake is a gateway to nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park, and is adjacent to numerous hiking trails and lakes in nearby Lassen National Forest
For more Plumas County information, call (800) 326-2247 or visit plumascounty.org |
