A number of years ago the Forest Service helped create a trailhead for a snowmobile area up near Butte Meadows. As part of the agreement, a separate trail for cross country skiers was established and marked. 

For those of you who have never been to Butte Meadows before, drive up Hwy. 32 from Chico and turn right at the sign directing you to Butte Meadows. Naturally, some portions of this road may be covered with snow, so use caution and common sense. Drive past Butte Meadows, past Cherry Hill Campground and continue on to the snowmobile park parking lot. The trailhead for cross country skiers is BACK down the road a little ways through a break in the split rail fence. You will have to work your way down to the creek and use the primitive log bridge to cross the creek, so take your skis off and use your poles for balance should you feel the need when crossing this bridge. A new, more substantial bridge is in the works, but given the current red tape, will probably take several years to install

Once across the creek, head across the meadows to another, smaller, more visible bridge. Cross the bridge and continue on in the same direction. You should once again pick up the road and trail markers on the right edge of the trees. This trail winds through the trees at the edge of Colby Creek as it skirts several open meadow areas. Eventually the road will curve left and cross over Colby Creek by way of a large culvert pipe. The road heads up the old Colby Mtn. Rd. and keeps climbing until it cross a large water bar and intersects with the snowmobile road and after another 1.3 miles will end up at the Colby Mtn. Lookout. Snowmobiles are allowed on this last 1.3 mile section.

Another place to ski that isn't a marked trail is to continue up the road from the trailhead parking lot. Eventually you will come to a fork in the road. Go left and upward towards Humboldt Summit pass and some decent skiing up near the pass.

There also the main road that leads out of Butte Meadows towards Inskip and Paradise near the Bambi Inn. Cross over the main bridge and continue up the road. There isn't much skiing other than on the road, but it does offer skiing if for some reason the road hasn't been plowed back to the snowmobile park.

You can download a map of the Colby Meadows ski trails (452K) near Butte Meadows by clicking here. You will need the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view and print out the map. (HINT: If Acrobat opens up when you click on the button, but you want to download a copy of the map to your computer, use the right mouse button -- or the Control key for we Mac folks -- to "Save Link Target As" to save the file permanetly to your computer.)