Plumas County is a haven for snowmobilers!
It's no wonder that the county has one of the largest number of registered
snowmobiles in the state. Visitors as well as locals enjoy hundreds of miles of
groomed trails throughout the forest, plus plenty of warming huts and maintained
staging areas.
Year-round resorts, shops and restaurants cater
to wintertime guests, making Plumas County an ideal destination for a
snowmobiling trip. Presently no snowmobile rentals are available in Plumas
County.
Click here to
view and/or download a self-guided trip planner of
Snowmobile
Trails in Plumas County.
Bucks Lake. Located 17 miles southwest of Quincy on Bucks Lake Road
(Quincy-Oroville Road), Bucks Lake has long been considered one of the finest
snowmobile destinations in the West. Up to 100 miles of groomed snowmobile
routes are maintained during winter, and there are hundreds of ungroomed routes
marked for snowmobiling throughout the forest. Snowmobiling is not allowed,
however, in the Bucks Lake Wilderness Area. Three staging areas are in the
vicinity - Four Trees, Bucks Summit, and Big Creek - and there is year-round
lodging and dining. Travel into the resorts is via snowmobile, snowcat or
cross-country skiing, as the Bucks Lake Road is not plowed past the summit.
Historic La Porte is also renowned for its excellent snowmobiling
opportunities, with more than 80 miles of marked, groomed trails, a staging area
with warming hut and restrooms, and four trailside warming huts. The Quincy/La
Porte Road is not plowed from Quincy in the winter. Access is from the southern
route (from Marysville/Oroville, via Highway 20 and County Road E-21).
 The
Almanor Basin offers an abundance of scenic snowmobiling areas. Near Chester
are five staging areas--Chester-Lake Almanor Snowmobile Park, Swain Mountain,
Morgan Summit, Jonesville, and Fredonyer-- which lead to many miles of
both groomed and ungroomed trails. A lesser maintained trailhead begins at the
boat launch just north of Canyon Dam and continues across to the west side of
Highway 89. Another popular area off Highway 89 is Humboldt Road, which offers
access to a trail leading to restaurants and lodges along Highway 36 west of
Chester. Indian Valley offers stunning scenery on
marked ungroomed routes. Popular rides include the unplowed road from
Genesee to Antelope Lake, the Lights Creek trail north of Taylorsville, and Old
Haun Road north of Greenville.
Gold Lake Highway, which winds through the Lakes Basin Recreation Area
south of Graeagle, has spectacular beauty and diverse terrain that has made it a
primary snowmobiling destination for many years. The Gold Lake Staging
Area is located five miles south of Highway 89 on Gold Lake Highway, which
connects with Highway 49. From the staging area, the road is unplowed,
groomed and marked. Snowmobilers can choose from many trails that branch
off the road, including a groomed trail to Mills Peak Lookout, or continue south
to the staging area at Bassett's Station.
Farther east, the trout fisheries of Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake
near Portola become excellent locations for snowmobiling during the winter.
Ungroomed trails run around both lakes, and there's a parking area at Davis Lake
off Grizzly Road. For more detailed maps of the trails, staging areas
and warming huts, contact the Plumas National Forest (530) 283-2050 or the
Lassen National Forest (530) 258-2141. Maps also are available at the Plumas
County Visitors Bureau (800) 326-2247.
Annual snowmobile poker runs:
La Porte Harold Schmidt Memorial Poker Run (January or February)
Chester Winterfest Poker Run (February)
Lake Davis Winter Holiday Poker Run (February)
Bucks Lake Snowdrifters Poker Run (February)
Snowmobile Tours / ATV Winter Tours
|
