New:

Check out the Spring Newsletter. It includes articles covering:

The Chico Creek Nature Center Grand Opening
Ferns in Bidwell Park
Park Wet Weather Policy
State Route 99 Chico Auxiliary Lane Project
Soil Erosion

A flyer announcing a meeting to discuss feral and abandoned cats in the park, Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Council Chambers, 421 W. Main Street

Added a video of the 2010 Polar Bear Swim to the Sycamore Pool page.

Added a page showing how Chico has spent Proposition 40 funds [pdf].

Photo of footbridge connecting Annie's Glen to Camellia Way picnic area

The Annie's Glen bike bridge across Big Chico Creek and bike underpass re-connecting the Glen to the rest of Lower Bidwell Park is now open. This project was first discussed at an on-site meeting of FOBP, city staff, and an Annie's Glen neighbor in May 2004.

Added the following item to the FAQ page:

How many miles of roads and trails are there in Bidwell Park?

Length in miles:

Lower Park
- dirt trail
  - major 7.46
  - minor 1.96
- paved road 5.66
- paved trail 2.97
- crushed rock trail 0.52
- Total 18.57
Middle and Upper Park
- dirt trail
  - major 40.18
  - minor 14.73
- paved road 3.03
- gravel road 6.96
- paved trail 2.23
- crushed rock trail 0.32
- Total 67.45
Grand Total 86.02

For these purposes "Major" trails in upper park include those that appear on a published map somewhere, e.g. the Trails Plan in the Bidwell Park Master Management Plan, the Butte County Association of Governments Chico Area Bike Map, etc.; in lower park they are any that are obviously in regular use. "Minor" trails are all the rest, bootlegs and the like. It doesn't include many minor trails which we haven't cataloged, for example the web of trails that has developed at the disc golf site.

Also added a copy of Effects of Goat Browsing on Himalayan Blackberry [pdf], a report by Pheng T. Lee, CSU, Chico Research Foundation, and updated bacteria count information on the Sycamore Pool page.

In September 2009, the City of Chico began negotiating a new 25-year lease with the Bidwell Park Golf Club, a non-profit organization that manages the Bidwell Park Golf Course. Here's a map of the leased area.

Some aerial photos showing impacts on the park from the disc golf courses at the Hwy. 32 site in Upper Park. Details.

There is also a list of links to related pages on the topic.

Friends of Bidwell Park is working on several exciting new projects including a complete plant inventory of Bidwell Park and a series of docent-led park tours. See current projects for details on these and other FOBP projects.

How to contact your City Councilors and Park Commissioners

See our Reasons to Keep Upper Park Wild

FOBP on-site volunteer hours to-date:

9182 hours of work contributed to volunteer projects in the park.

See our Events Calendar for upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Friends of Bidwell Park is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are now tax-deductible!

Please send donations to: Friends of Bidwell Park, PO Box 3036, Chico CA 95927

If you prefer, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to us online through the philanthropic organization JustGive.org by clicking on the button below.

Join our campaign— Order your bumper stickers now!
Also available at:

Sacramento River Preservation Trust, 631 Flume St., Chico

We've taken positions on some controversial issues related to Bidwell Park. Sometimes our positions have been misunderstood or misrepresented by those with opposing views. To help clear things up, we'd like to expose some of the...

Myths About Friends Of Bidwell Park

Myth:: FOBP opposes trails.
Fact:: We don't oppose trails. We regularly support trail maintenance projects and we are happy to see continued access to the park's trail system by hikers, bikers, and equestrians. We do oppose the development of new trails when there aren't adequate resources to properly maintain the existing ones.
Myth:: FOBP is against disc golf.
Fact:: We have nothing against disc golf. We do have concerns with the location of the current 39 hole, 40 acre course in Upper Park. There are very shallow soils in this environmentally fragile area. Native plants and animals are being severely impacted by this intensive use.; We think that disc golf would benefit from a move to a location that could be used year-round; someplace that is accessible to local kids and to people without cars.
Myth:: FOBP wants to restrict access to the park.
Fact:: We encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the park. Backers of development have implied that opposition to their projects somehow denies 'access' to people. Bidwell Park is a public park and everyone is free to explore it to their heart's content. It can be accessible without any need to destroy its natural character.