Destinations in Plumas County  that need to be explored.

• Lakes Basin Recreational Area
• Bucks Lake Wilderness – the 24,000-acre Bucks Lake Wilderness near Bucks Lake has a broad diversity of plant life, trees and landscape features. Ranging from 2,000 to 7,017 feet in elevation, Bucks Lake Wilderness  includes gentle slopes, steep canyons and sheer cliffs.  Most of it is rugged with human access difficult. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the area, and Lassen Peak is visible on clear days, 40 miles to the north.
• Lake Almanor
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Lake Davis
• Greagle/Johnsonville

Plumas County boasts hundreds of public campsites and privately owned RV campgrounds. Many of them in alpine lake and forested, streamside settings. There are Forest Service campgrounds, PG&E campgrounds, and California State Park campgrounds. The links below will take you directly to campground and RV park listings throughout Plumas County.

Places to Camp by Area

Hiking/Backpacking in Plumas county will let you  experience the magnificence of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges along an extensive system of hiking trails. Here’s a look at some of the most accessible ones:

• Pacific Crest Trail – Travel up to 80 miles of the PCT while in Plumas County. With elevations ranging from 2,400 to 7,000 feet. The Plumas County section can be accessed six miles west of Chester, at Belden in the Feather River Canyon, at Bucks Summit on Bucks Lake Road, off Big Creek Road near Bucks Lake, along the Quincy/La Porte Road, and in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area. The communities of Chester and Quincy both welcome PCT hikers.
• Almanor Basin offers a myriad of hiking opportunities, including the paved Lake Almanor Recreation Trail that follows the west shore of the lake.  The Almanor area also is close to some magnificent hikes within Lassen Volcanic National Park and the nearby Caribou Wilderness Area.
• Feather River Canyon affords hikers the opportunity to hike near one of the most beautiful waterways in the state, as well as to marvel at many of man’s engineering feats.
• Bucks Lake Wilderness Area, one trail follows the lake while another takes hikers to remote mountain lakes higher up. Bucks Lake Trailhead map.
• Indian Valley area has self-guided nature walks pleasant for families and seniors, including the Round Valley Lake Nature Walk near Greenville and the short hike to spectacular Indian Falls. Indian Falls is about nine miles south of Greenville on Highway 89. It is worth a quick stop to walk to the fall. 

• Lakes Basin Recreation Area in the southeastern part of the county near Graeagle has hundreds of great hiking trails, including a loop trail that leads past nine mountain lakes.   

  Ambitious hikers can climb to the top of the Sierra Buttes, Mt. Elwell  or Eureka Peak, while others may prefer a less strenuous stroll to Madora Lake, located within Plumas Eureka State Park. Click on the map for full-size version.

• Lake Davis Recreation Area, north of Portola has a 5.1 mile hiking trail along the east shore of the lake that accesses the campgrounds, and another four miles was added last year.

Fishing Season:

Lakes are open to fishing year round and the stream season usually opens on the last weekend of April and closes in the middle of November. Some streams, such as tributaries to Lake Almanor and Bucks Lake, are not open until the end of May and close at the end of September. Some waters like Yellow Creek have special barbless catch and release provisions. Check the current Department of Fish and Game regulations pamphlet for specific dates and limits.                                  

Lake Almanor is the largest lake in Plumas County. Fishing is generally good year-round, but fall and winter can be outstanding. The Almanor Fishing Association is a great resource for more information on fishing Lake Almanor.

Butt Valley Reservoir is noted for huge rainbows and browns of trophy trout status. Butt Valley is at its best with flies, jigs and small lures in the inlet when the powerhouse is running.

Round Valley Lake near Greenville is a small lake with big bass. This is a great place for children to fish from shore for bluebills. An annual  free Children’s Fishing Derby sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service is held here each September. Call (530) 283-0555 for more information.

Bucks Lake in central Plumas is a good all around lake that is especially noted for trophy size (over 16 pound) Mackinaw trout, although the current lake record is over 30 pounds. Fall fly-fishing for rainbow, brown and brook trout is often spectacular in middle to late afternoon.

Little Grass Valley Reservoir is good for rainbow and brown trout, and Antelope Lake is popular for trout, catfish and bass fishing.

Lake Davis  and Frenchman Lake are excellent trophy rainbow waters. Fly fishing from the west shorelines, either wading or using float tubes, is good both spring and fall. Both of these lakes are popular for ice fishing during the wintertime.  

Stream and Fly Fishing:

Whether you’re a fly fisherman or prefer to use lures and bait, you’ll find plenty of good action and surprisingly large trout in some very small creeks.  The most common aquatic insects of the Feather River are several species of mayflies, caddis flies and stone flies.  There are others, of course, as well as terrestrials (ants/grasshoppers).  Exploring a stream, you may see trout rising to an active hatch of insects.