Live cameras in Chico, United States

Chico is the largest city in Butte County, on the flat east side of the northern Sacramento Valley where the land begins to rise toward the Sierra Nevada foothills. About 101,000 people lived here at the 2020 census. The city grew around the ranch of John Bidwell, a pioneer and politician whose land later became Bidwell Park, a long ribbon of oaks, creek pools and canyon trails that stretches from downtown far into the foothills along Big Chico Creek. California State University, Chico, founded in 1887, gives the town a large student population, and Sierra Nevada Brewing, one of the pioneers of American craft beer, has brewed here since 1980. The town of Paradise, largely destroyed by the Camp Fire in November 2018, lies up the ridge to the east.

The cameras listed for Chico are part of the Caltrans network, published through the agency's CWWP2 data feed. Most deliver still pictures that refresh every few minutes, and some add a short video stream. State Route 99, the main north-south road on this side of the valley, runs through the city as a freeway, and State Route 32 crosses it on its way from Orland toward the mountains of the Lassen country. Views show freeway lanes, ramps and the edge of the orchard country that surrounds town.

When to look

Chico is on Pacific Time. Summers are hot and dry, often well above ninety degrees in the afternoon, so early morning views are the clearest. From late autumn through winter, dense tule fog can settle over the valley floor for days, sometimes cutting visibility on Route 99 to almost nothing; the cameras are a quick way to see whether it has lifted. In spring the almond orchards bloom white around February, and the Wildflower Century bicycle ride crosses the county in April.

Oroville and its tall dam lie to the southeast, and the Sacramento River runs just west of town through orchards and wildlife areas.

Sources: Chico, California - Wikipedia · Bidwell Park - Wikipedia · Caltrans QuickMap.