Also see Upper Bidwell Park for a map over-viewing most swimming holes and parking areas.
Bear Hole is a part of Big Chico Creek in Upper Bidwell Park. It is used as a swimming hole, as the water is especially deep here in the late spring and summer. Diving off of the high rocks is a popular activity at Bear Hole, but swimmers should be aware that this is incredibly dangerous and can lead to serious injuries that could be deadly. Additionally, the water currents can move quickly through the area, so swimmers should be careful to not get caught in faster moving waters that could trap you. The map above shows the location of the bear hole parking lot.
In addition to swimming, sunbathing is popular at Bear Hole. It seems the further one moves up Upper Park Road the more optional the users find clothing. Bear Hole is one of the more accessible swimming holes, compared to Salmon Hole and other spots further up, but some less-clad individuals can be found here as well. On a hot summer's day, sunbathers can be found strewn about on top of the rocks, taking in the sun's rays to enhance their tans.
Bear Hole is accessed from Upper Park Road. There is a small parking area (Area K), with a short walk from there to the swimming hole. It is located not far from the Diversion Dam. As a part of Bidwell Park, all park rules apply, including the alcohol ban and the glass ban.
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Comments:
2008-05-19 22:51:11 Wish I could find this on a map so I could map it here using the address macro. :-\ I've actually never gone swimming at Bear Hole because it's always been far far too busy. Just downstream there are some less popular spots where it's less rocky but far more sediment. The stuff upstream has always seemed a bit... dangerous to get to (except towards the end of Upper Park Road). But I'm a transplant and have much to learn. —RyanMikulovsky
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Don't know if you ever got around to looking for this, it's been (ironically) exactly a year since your comment. N 39° 46.674 W 121° 45.146 Those coords put you at the entrance to the parking area at Bear Hole. Hope that helps. -JohnNash
2009-08-25 10:53:45 Bear Hole was great! My dog and I hiked up on the , climbed boulders for an hour, took a dip in the Big Chico, watched the trout surface feed, then watched bats destroy the mosquito population, all while enjoying a beautiful sunset. Amazing! Oh, with regartd to the above posts, the road is closed to cars Sunday and Monday, consequently there are few, if any, other folks there. I saw no-one, and it was still about 95 degrees.—76.204.229.134
