| Butte Creek | |
| River | |
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Honey Run Covered Bridge across Butte Creek
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | California |
| Counties | Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Sutter |
| Part of | Sacramento River basin |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Little Butte Creek, Hamlin Slough, Cherokee Canal |
| Cities | Diamondville, Chico, Durham |
| Source | Near Cirby Meadow |
| - location | About 5 miles (8.0 km) NE of Belden, Butte County |
| - elevation | 6,260 ft (1,908 m) |
| - coordinates | [1] |
| Mouth | Sacramento River |
| - location | Between Colusa and Meridian |
| - elevation | 52 ft (16 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | [1] |
| Length | 93 mi (150 km), North-south |
| Basin | 560 sq mi (1,450 km2) est. |
| Discharge | for Chico, CA |
| - average | 411 cu ft/s (12 m3/s) [2] |
| - max | 35,600 cu ft/s (1,008 m3/s) |
| - min | 44 cu ft/s (1 m3/s) |
Butte Creek is tributary to the Sacramento River, joining the river in the vicinity of Colusa, California, USA. About 93 miles (150 km) in length,[3] it runs through much of Butte County, California (the county, however, receives its name from the Sutter Buttes in Sutter County, California). It travels through a spectacular mini-Grand Canyon as it reaches the Sacramento Valley floor, where it then flows somewhat south and west of the city of Chico towards the southwestern corner of the county.
Recent efforts have brought back Chinook salmon and steelhead runs to the stream.
There are several dams in its upper reaches. The PG&E has facilities at Centerville. The Paradise Irrigation District has Paradise Dam impounding Paradise Lake and the smaller Magalia Dam just beneath it on Little Butte Creek.
The creek is notable for the Honey Run Covered Bridge, the only remaining three-level covered bridge left in the United States. It is the centerpiece of Honey Run Covered Bridge Park. Subjected to repeated vandalism, the bridge and the park require the continuous presence of a resident attendant photos.
The Colman Museum, headquartered in Chico, California, is dedicated to preserving the history and beauty of the Butte Creek canyon. Whitewater kayaking on Butte Creek is popular, in part because of the outstanding scenery of the "Little Grand Canyon" section of the creek near Chico.
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