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LAKE OROVILLE VISITOR CENTER
Learn what it took to build the Nation's tallest dam and California's second-largest reservoir by touring the Visitor Center. There are free movies to watch, exhibits on the California State Water Project, a 46-foot viewing tower with a live camera feed inside the visitor center lobby, and information on gold mining and Native American history. The Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 917 Kelly Ridge Rd. Admission and parking are free. Free guided tours for school and community groups are available by reservation by calling (530) 543-2306.
FEATHER RIVER FISH HATCHERY
Every fall thousands of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout make an incredible trek from the Pacific Ocean up the Delta and several rivers to Oroville's Feather River Fish Hatchery. Open 8:00 AM to sunset, the hatchery's self-guided tour shows every step of the process to harvest, produce and ultimately save these fish. Viewing is best in September, when the ladder first opens. Typically, salmon viewing is good in September through November, and steelhead are most visible from late December to early February. For more information, please call the Hatchery at (530) 538-2222. Free guided tours for school and community groups are available by reservation by calling (530) 534-2306.
OROVILLE DAM
Once called the ninth wonder of the world, the Oroville Dam - 770 feet high - is the tallest dam in the United States, besting Hoover Dam by more than 40 feet. Completed in 1967, and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1968, the Oroville Dam is comprised of a concrete core and more than 80 million cubic yards of earth, mostly leftover mining tailings. Although tours inside the Hyatt Powerplant are no longer allowed, a designated public viewing area and one-mile-long walking/biking trail along the dam’s crest provides a spectacular view of the valley below.
FEATHER RIVER NATURE CENTER and Native Plant Park
Oroville Gold Rush history is centered on the Feather River, where General John Bidwell first struck gold in 1849. The Feather River Nature Center, perched on the southern shore of the river, is a monument to that exciting era. Constructed of river rock, the Nature Center was once a bath house for gold miners and now serves as a museum and activity center. The park is open daily and the Nature Center is open on Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.