Get thee to the water!
As temperatures climb, locals take refuge
Mason Thomas, 6, and Christian Thomas, 10, cool off at Chico City Plaza. The fountain is a prime spot for local kids to show off their karate moves.
Snorkeler Nathan Sonberg, a fifth-grade teacher from Orland, spies several types of fish in the waters of Big Chico Creek, just above Bear Hole, including small-mouth bass and rainbow trout.
On a recent Saturday, an estimated 2,200 tubers hit the Sacramento River.
Mason tries out some of their sweet kicks and punches on the streaming water.
Phil Harrold (in baseball cap) has been coming to Bear Hole and the Diversion Dam since 1961, and on a recent hot afternoon he and his extended family—including Dakota Harrold (seated) and Zenoah Aldrich-Walters (flying off the Diversion Dam)—gathered for a summer swim in his favorite spot to kick off a family-reunion weekend.
Corey Jack, a bartender at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., takes flight off the old Diversion Dam in Upper Bidwell Park.
Russel Bailey and daughters Madison, 5, and Kaitlyn, 8, enjoy the chilly waters of Big Chico Creek in Sycamore Pool at One-Mile Recreation Area.
Josh Martin goes for it cannonball-style at Sycamore Pool.
Dakota Jameson (left) and Tyler Owens on stand-up paddle boards at the Forebay Aquatic Center at the North Thermalito Forebay.
Floating down the Sacramento River on a hot summer day is a Chico right of passage.
Chico State students Ted Hunter and Katherine Cusack-Collwell head out onto the Sacramento River with a furry friend in tow.
How about those triple-digit days last week? Pretty brutal. If there’s one thing we can count on in the North State, it’s the summertime heat. The good news, especially for those of us without swimming pools of our own, is that we are surrounded by some pretty sweet spots to take a dip.
From a municipal fountain in the city center to the wide-open water at Lake Oroville, Butte County residents can take respite at dozens of locations. Here’s a look, through the lens of CN&R photography intern John Domogma, at some of the prime spots to cool down when Butte County heats up.
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