Thursday, April 18, Optional Bonus Tri-nighter Hike - Sutter Buttes (Maidu’s Spirit Mountain)

On your way up to Chico, you may notice a line of hills that seems to rise up from nowhere in the middle of the plain. These are the Sutter Buttes and are actually the remains of a supervolcano that once dominated the Sacramento valley. While the Buttes are on state land, all access is through private land which is only permitted if visitors are accompanied by a  guide from a Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes (MMI).

This is a chartered docent-led interpretive hike - five miles on moderate hills with lovely views, interesting rock formations, and lovely wildflowers. Cost is $30 per person, payable by cash or check the morning of the hike. As the group leading the hikes has a busy schedule starting mid-February, we ask that interested hikers please RSVP by February 9 so that MMI can know how many leaders they will need to assign us. There is no penalty for cancelling, even the morning of the hike. 

We will meet our guides at 9 am at the Chevron Power Station in the town of Live Oak, about a 40 minute drive from the Holiday Inn in Chico. We will then caravan about 18 minutes to the trailhead on private land to begin the hike. The meeting spot has ample parking if we wish to carpool from there to the trailhead, as well as restrooms and a nice deli with hot items and sandwiches. We anticipate returning to the Chevron at 2:30 pm. 

For more information on Sutter Buttes, check out these links:

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23786

https://www.middlemountainhikes.org