Top 15 Things to Do in Oroville According to TripAdvisor

Table Moun­tain​’s top spot on this list is well-deserved. The unique basalt rocks that cov­er the North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve make it a sea­son­al mar­vel, with water­falls and ver­nal pools spring­ing to life come the first rains and vibrant wild­flow­ers as far as the eye can see come spring. When you vis­it, remem­ber to stay on the trails, leave the flow­ers where they are, take your trash with you, and give the graz­ing cat­tle a wide berth.

If Lake Oroville is the rea­son for your vis­it (or even if it’s not!), you have to make sure to stop by the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tor Cen­ter. With a muse­um, exhibits, inter­pre­tive dis­plays, a live feed of the spill­way, and so much more, it’s the ulti­mate des­ti­na­tion to learn about the dam and its role in the city of Oroville and in the state. Don’t for­get to climb the 47-foot view­ing tow­er for a 360-view of the dam and lake!

The Chi­nese Tem­ple and Muse­um Com­plex was built in 1863 to serve the largest com­mu­ni­ty of Chi­nese north of Sacra­men­to. While still occa­sion­al­ly used for wor­ship, the tem­ple today is a muse­um show­cas­ing an exten­sive col­lec­tion of tapes­tries, Chi­nese and Amer­i­can cos­tumes, and gen­er­al arti­facts high­light­ing the con­tri­bu­tions of the Chi­nese com­mu­ni­ty to the area dur­ing the Gold Rush and late 19^th century.

Encom­pass­ing the trails, mari­nas, and camp­grounds around Lake Oroville, the Lake Oroville State Recre­ation Area is a state park unit that you could spend days explor­ing. From camp­ing right on the water to rent­ing house­boats to hik­ing on beau­ti­ful trails with lake views, every­one can find some­thing to enjoy around Lake Oroville.

Beer enthu­si­asts will want to check out Feath­er Falls Casino, which has its own brew­ing company and serves up award-win­ning craft beers as well as an exten­sive lunch and din­ner menu and live music on Fri­days and Sat­ur­days. Come for a great meal before head­ing to oth­er Oroville adven­tures or stay and try your hand at their slots or black jack tables.

Con­struct­ed to com­pen­sate for the change in the flow of the Feath­er Riv­er when the Oroville Dam was built, the Feath­er Riv­er Fish Hatch­ery today sees over 51,000 fish return to it each year. For vis­i­tors, this means great views of annu­al salmon and trout migra­tions as well as tours of the hatch­ery itself, where you can learn all about the fish life cycle and rela­tion­ship with the hatchery.

Feath­er Falls Scenic Trail is a beau­ti­ful hike to one of California’s most beau­ti­ful water­falls. The 7 – 9 mile hike is well worth the view of Feath­er Falls, a Yosemite-style water­fall (with­out the crowds) with a 410-foot drop.

*Due to exten­sive dam­age from the North Com­plex Fire, Feath­er Falls, the trail, and its sur­round­ing areas ARE CLOSED THROUGH MARCH 2024 to hik­ing, hunt­ing, camp­ing, and fish­ing due to ongo­ing recov­ery efforts.

Locat­ed just min­utes from Lake Oroville, Gold Coun­try Casino boasts four restau­rants, a dri­ve-through cof­fee shop, and an event cen­ter that hosts a vari­ety of live enter­tain­ment acts year-round, mak­ing it a worth­while stop on your way to or from your day on the lake.

Since 1994, the Bar­ry R. Kir­sh­n­er Wildlife Sanc­tu­ary has been home to a remark­able vari­ety of non-releasable, endan­gered, and exot­ic live ani­mals. Whether you enjoy a self-guid­ed tour or one led by an inter­pre­tive guide, you’ll dis­cov­er a wide vari­ety of wildlife, includ­ing moun­tain lions, owls, fox­es, and more!

The only known loca­tion of its kind in the world, Bolt’s Antique Tool Muse­um is a unique­ly Oroville attrac­tion, dis­play­ing over 12,000 hand tools from across the cen­turies. With infor­ma­tion­al and his­to­ry dis­plays, hands-on tools, and knowl­edge­able docents on-hand, you’ll leave with a greater appre­ci­a­tion of the wide range and appli­ca­tion of hand tools.

Locat­ed on 26 beau­ti­ful acres close to Lake Oroville, Long Creek Win­ery and Ranch offers an idyl­lic loca­tion for some week­end wine tast­ing or even your next event. Sip in the tast­ing room, stroll the prop­er­ty, and enjoy a pic­nic by the pond and park area for a relax­ing afternoon.

Savor your tast­ing of four estate-grown vari­etals and oth­er cre­ative blends at Gray Fox Vine­yards. Whether you enjoy out­side on the large patio or inside in the beau­ti­ful tast­ing room, you’ll love the expan­sive views of the vine­yards and Sut­ter Buttes as you sip.

The Moth­er Orange Tree is the old­est liv­ing orange tree in Cal­i­for­nia. Plant­ed in 1856 at Bidwell’s Bar, the Moth­er Orange was moved in 1964 dur­ing the con­struc­tion of the Oroville Dam to its cur­rent loca­tion, where you can read more about this piece of liv­ing Cal­i­for­nia his­to­ry on an inter­pre­tive display.

On the Oro Quin­cy High­way, not far from the Moth­er Orange Tree, you’ll find the Last Yahi Indi­an Mon­u­ment. Also known as the Ishi Mark­er, it marks the dis­cov­ery site of Ishi, a Yahi Yana Indi­an and the last of his peo­ple. Make a brief stop at the moment and then learn more about Ishi at the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tors Center.

Look­ing for a calm water spot with a sandy beach in the mid­dle of Cal­i­for­nia? You’ll find it at the North Ther­mal­i­to Fore­bay! Fea­tur­ing 200 yards of sandy shore­line for sun­bathing and cool waters from Lake Oroville for swim­ming, you can also launch your non-pow­er-dri­ven boat — or even rent a kayak or pad­dle board from the near­by Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter. With pic­nic areas and ameni­ties, it’s a great spot for the whole fam­i­ly to enjoy.