This Breathtaking Field Of Wildflowers In Northern California Looks Like Something From A Dream
By Jill S.|Published April 14, 2017
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Jill S.
Author
Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.
Every year, this ecological preserve located just north of Oroville comes alive with jaw dropping wildflowers more beautiful than anything in your wildest imagination. The North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve features incredible hiking trails, waterfalls, and lovely flowers that bloom around this time each year. It’s a spot all nature lovers in Northern California need to put on their bucket list.
Poppies, lupines and purple owl's clover are just some of the incredible blooms that grow each spring in this Butte County slice of paradise.
Seasonal streams and waterfalls are formed by fissures in the basalt that soak up winter rains. In a few places, however, the underlying basalt is impermeable to water forming a temporary pool. Soon to dry up after rains end, only specialized plants and animals adapted to this habitat can survive over time.
To get to the reserve, from Hwy 70 in Oroville, follow these directions. Exit at Grand Ave (Exit 48). Go East (right) on Grand Ave for 1 mile. Left on Table Mountain Blvd for a tenth of a mile. Right on Cherokee Road 6.3 miles north to the reserve. Official access is through a small parking lot on the west side of Cherokee Road.
This stunning landscape makes you feel as though buckets of yellow, purple and orange paint were just splashed over the hillside. It's managed by the California Department of Fish and Game.
