Big Chico Creek

River in California, United States

40°07′25″N 121°30′32″W / 40.12361°N 121.50889°W / 40.12361; -121.50889 • elevation5,000 ft (1,500 m) Mouth

• location

Confluence with Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley

• coordinates

39°41′48″N 121°56′29″W / 39.6966°N 121.9414°W / 39.6966; -121.9414

• elevation

120 ft (37 m)Length46 mi (74 km)Basin featuresRiver systemSacramento River BasinTributaries • leftLittle Chico Creek

Big Chico Creek is a creek in northeastern California that originates near Colby Mountain in Lassen National Park. It flows 46 miles (74 km)^[2] to its confluence with the Sacramento River in Butte County. The creek's elevation declines from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level at its head to 120 feet (37 m) where it joins the Sacramento River, as shown on the Ord Ferry USGS quadrangle. Big Chico Creek forms part of the demarcation between the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range.^[3]

A portion of Big Chico Creek flows through the city of Chico's Bidwell Park and California State University, Chico.

Natural history

There are numerous plant and animal species in the riparian zone and entire watershed of Big Chico Creek. A threatened species of Chinook Salmon make annual spawning runs up Big Chico Creek to the area of Higgin's Hole. Among the wildflowers documented in the watershed is the yellow mariposa lily, Calochortus luteus.^[4]

References

C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Yellow Mariposa Lily: Calochortus luteus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
United States Geological Survey. 1981. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: USGS Survey Detail Report: Big Chico Creek

Notes

^ "Chico Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 10, 2011
^ "Local Watersheds: Watersheds of Butte County". Butte Environmental Council. Retrieved July 21, 2021. Big Chico Creek begins its 45 mile journey from a series of springs on Colby Mountain, at the interface between the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Cascade Mountains.
^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009