Lower Bidwell Park

Low­er Bid­well Park is the por­tion of Bid­well Park that is west of Man­zani­ta Avenue. It is per­haps most well known for mul­ti­tudes of pic­nic sites (many of which are dis­abled per­sons acces­si­ble), swim­ming, run­ning, and road bik­ing along flat pathways.

Find updat­ed infor­ma­tion on trail, gate, and facil­i­ty sta­tus and hours at the City of Chico.

Hik­ing & Walking

A hike through Low­er Bid­well Park takes you through the mel­low half of Chico’s famed Bid­well Park, with flat and lev­el trails and a thick canopy of trees offer­ing ample shade. When­ev­er you vis­it, you’ll enjoy diverse views through­out the year: in the fall, the park is full of vibrant oranges, reds, and yel­lows of chang­ing foliage, while in the spring, it comes alive with sea­son­al wild­flow­ers. With a start at the ​“Decide or Ride” com­pass, locat­ed adja­cent to the One-Mile Recre­ation Area bike and pedes­tri­an bridge, you’ll have the free­dom to choose your own adven­ture through Low­er Park. The paved path cre­ates an acces­si­ble loop, while the unpaved trail will take you on an out-and-back journey. 

Pub­lic bath­rooms and water foun­tains are avail­able in cer­tain loca­tions (by Sycamore Pool, in the Chico Creek Nature Cen­ter, and just across Man­azi­ta Avenue). Park­ing is avail­able in con­ve­nient loca­tions, and cars are com­fort­ably few on path­ways that allow them.

Bik­ing

Bik­ers can enjoy paved roads over flat ter­rain and easy, flat dirt trails through­out Low­er Park. Bike trails are two miles or less and rat­ed easy.

Swim­ming

Vis­i­tors can enjoy a dip in two swim­ming areas along Big Chico Creek. At One Mile Recre­ation Area, Sycamore Pool is a clas­sic Chico sum­mer­time expe­ri­ence. The con­crete basin fills with the nat­u­ral­ly flow­ing waters of the creek. At Five Mile Recre­ation Area, stair­way access pro­vides easy oppor­tu­ni­ties to swim in untamed, yet still mild, waters of the creek.

Week­end and Hol­i­day Road Closures

Peter­son Memo­r­i­al Way and South Park Dri­ve between Caper Acres and Cen­ten­ni­al Avenue are both closed to vehi­cles on week­end and hol­i­days. Vehic­u­lar access is open from the Cypress Street entrance of Low­er Bid­well Park to Caper Acres so vis­i­tors can access park­ing at One Mile, Sycamore Field, and Caper Acres.

Map of Low­er Park

Dis­cov­er Low­er Bid­well Park with this map. Get a free copy of the fold-out map, which includes the entire­ty of Bid­well Park, from the Chico Cham­ber of Commerce.