About Bidwell Park

Bidwell Park is by far the greatest and most lasting contribution Gen. John and Annie Bidwell, Chico's founders, made to the community. It is also one of the most diverse and pristine parks in America.

The 3,618-acre preserve encompasses both sides of Big Chico Creek Canyon for a full five miles up into the foothills, making it a truly spectacular retreat. There's really no park like it anywhere.

Annie Bidwell deeded the original property--some 2,238 acres--to the city of Chico on July 10, 1905, along with the Children's Park downtown, and since then it has remained in the public trust. An additional 1,380 acres were added with a purchase approved by the City Council in 1995.

Home of Big Chico Creek, Sycamore Pool, Bidwell Golf Course and Big Chico Creek Canyon--to name a few of the most popular features--the park is the natural heart and soul of the community and regularly tabbed by News & Review readers as the best thing about Chico.

One of the park's longest-lasting claims to fame is that the original Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn and company, was filmed there among the majestic oaks and sycamores in 1938. It's easy to see why: This urban forest is unmatched. The park's theatrical tradition continues every summer with the annual late-summer Shakespeare in the Park productions in Cedar Grove.

For outdoor exercise, Bidwell Park is a premier choice of venues. A significant stretch of South Park Drive is closed to automobile traffic, so bicyclists, joggers, skaters and pedestrians share the wide, paved street unbothered by motor vehicles. There are also multitudes of dirt trails, both in Lower and Upper Park, for jogging, mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking.

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