Nature Below the Biggest Dam: Hiking the Brad Freeman/Dan Bebee Loop Trail

Oroville Dam Train Tunnel

Date: March 4, 2024
Place: Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, Oroville, California
Coordinates: 39.526698, -121.542172

Length: 3.9 miles

Level: mildly moderate

 

I didn't even bother to bring my tent when I returned on Sunday night to the Loafer Creek campground at the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. The storm that rolled through northern California that weekend raged well through Sunday night and like I did on Friday and Saturday nights, I opted again to camp in my car. I have hiked the Phantom Falls trail at the North Table Mountain Preserve on Friday, and the Roy Rogers Loop Trail at Loafer Creek on Saturday, and I still needed to check out a third trail before my planned group hike. The area I originally thought about hiking had sustained too much fire damage so I took the recommendation of the recreation area's visitor center's attendant and decided on hiking the Brad Freeman/Dan Bebee Loop in Thermalito. 

My hike as captured by my GPS

The storm raged for a good part of the night. Tired from driving and feeling secure enough inside my car, I slept well. By morning the storm was over. the air was crisp and calm, and the sky was blue. I got myself ready and drove off to the trailhead, where I had to log into a Zoom meeting that was scheduled for me that morning. So although I woke up early, it was past 9 am when I actually started my hike. 

I was a bit wary, leaving my car in this isolated parking area, since earlier on my visit, a local coffee shop barista had warned me that there was a recent wave of car break-ins in Oroville. There was no one else around and everything was quiet. The day looked really nice. I put my faith in the universe, locked my car and started down the path that connected the parking area with the trail below.  One of the first pretty things I saw was a plum tree in full bloom. The fragrance was wonderful.

The Brad Freeman Trail (named after a local bike enthusiast) I was about to hike on stretches along the long Thermalito Diversion Pool that's below the Oroville Dam. In that place where I started the hike there is another, smaller dam with turbines - a power plant. I looked at the flowing water for a few minutes, then started my hike, going north. 

Thermalito Diversion Dam Power Plant

A deeply trenched railroad separated between the trail and the Thermalito Pool. I knew that a bit ahead the trail will be right by the water but for now I was hiking along the middle of a green slope between the railroad and the asphalt road above.

Railroad

There were a few bushes in full bloom growing on the slope, both above and below me. These were Ceanothus bushes, and their scent was wonderful.

Buckbush, Ceanothus cuneatus

The Brad Freeman Trail descended to the water level and the railroad took a curve to the north and crossed the diversion pool westward. I continued north along the water.

Thermalito Diversion Pool

Near me the water was free of waterfowl but ahead in the distance I saw a large group of gulls floating on the water. On the orange buoys that marked the limit of where boats could go and possibly held a net as well, stood cormorants, one cormorant per buoy.

Thermalito Diversion Pool

I turned my attention to the trail side. There was a lot of vegetation growing on the east side of the trail, below or on the slope. There were many Manzanita bushes there, and all of them were in full bloom.

Manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp.

Manzanita are common chaparral community members in California, and so are the toyon, of which I saw many also on the trail side. The toyon were not blooming - they were all baring fruit at this stage. Their lovely red berries were just as beautiful as flowers.

Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia

Ahead of me on the other side of the reservoir loomed the Table Mountain, with he large white 'O' for Oroville placed just below the basalt table top, facing west. The north side of the mountain, where the North Table Mountain Preserve was, was hidden from my eye. There was blue sky with some light white clouds over the mountain, as if it didn't storm there merely three days ago when I hiked at the North Table Mountain Preserve.

The Table Mountain

Most of the vegetation was on the shill side, naturally, but there were some interesting plants growing on the water side of the trail, such as this rose bush. It had no flowers at all and seemed to be still in its winter attire of no leaves, but a full load of rosehips. I resisted the temptation to go down and snack on them.

Rose, Rosa sp.

Soon I cam upon the old train tunnel. Decades ago the railroad passed where I was now walking and went through a tunnel that cut the corner of the Thermalito Reservoir bend. This railroad use was discontinued when the Oroville Dam was built, and eventually converted into a hiking/biking trail that still goes through the tunnel. At the tunnel entrance was a push button to turn on light inside, but no lights came on when I pushed it. I there fore pulled out the head flashlight I took along and turned it on instead.

There were some puddles just before the tunnel entrance and I stood still for a few minutes and observed a young American robin drinking from one.

American Robin

When I reached the tunnel entrance I saw that it was partially flooded. A few wood planks were placed near the tunnel wall and I balanced myself carefully on these, walking slowly across the flooded area. The rest of the tunnel had only a few puddles that I could go around. The tunnel wasn't long. In fact, I didn't think that the flashlight was necessary except to avoid stepping in a puddle. I soon exited on the other side (header photo) where the trail curved sharply eastward.

Old Oroville Train Tunnel

On the other side I realized that the clouds were gathering again. The wind also picked up a bit, but it wasn't as powerful as it was earlier on the weekend.

Thermalito Diversion Pool

There was a small pond south of the trail. It didn't look like anything special but I searched it for waterfowl.

I didn't see any waterfowl in that pond but the reflection on the calm water surface was really nice so I stood there for a minute, appreciating the view.

Reflection

I walked slowly onward, paying attention to interesting things along the way, such as the cute little mistletoe riding on a pine branch.

Western Dwarf Mistletoe

There were a few more wildflowers blooming at the side of the trail, among them a small group of saxifrage plants.

California Saxifrage, Micranthes californica

The trail was very close to the reservoir. Walking closer to the water side I startled a few ducks which immediately took to the air.

Goldeneye ducks

Less tha a mile after crossing through the tunnel I reached the junction with the Dan Bebee Trail (named after a local news man), the trail I planned to lop back on. The first steps up the Dan Bebee Trail revealed to my eyes a nice, yellow patch of buttercups.

The trail was really soggy from yesterday's rain, and the sky looked like more was about to come down any moment. It was a slow and somewhat slippery uphill hike. 

Dan Bebee Trail

I took my time going uphill. A light drizzle begun and I donned my rain poncho. The day that started with partially blue sky and sunshine turned gray. Heady droplets hung from leaves, hesitating momentarily before succumbing to gravity and dropping to the ground.

Western Buttercup, Ranunculus occidentale

After about half a mile of incline the trail leveled. Higher up it was packed gravel and less muddy too. I quickened my pace.

Dan Bebee Trail

Every now and then the vegetation parted enough to allow me a partial view of the Thermalito Diversion Pool below.

Thermalito Diversion Pool View

For a short time the drizzle intensified, becoming heavier rain. The trail was muddier now and my shoes were coated by the reddish, sleek mud tracked from the wet soil.

Dan Bebee Trail

There wasn't much bloom along this part of the trail yet, but I could see from the forming buds that there would be a spectacular spring display for wildflowers within a month. What I did see plenty of were fungi, including the huge, toxic Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms.

Western Jack-O-Lantern, Omphalotus olivascens

I reached the highest point of the trail where I had a view down on the bend of the diversion pool. I figured I was walking above the tunnel that I walked through earlier on the hike. Overhead and across the pool stretched high power lines. These were coming from the power plant near where I started my hike.

Thermalito Diversion Pool

I saw some lush miner's lettuce blooming by the trail and I picked  leaf to munch on. The rain eased off but the miner's lettuce was coated with jewel-like droplets.

Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata

The trail curved away from the view point. I was heading downhill now, descending on a mild slope, through a partially forested area. The rain stopped but the clouds remained thick and foreboding

Dan Bebee Trail

There were more early spring wildflowers blooming near this part of the Dan Bebee trail. There was a good number of shooting stars, and they seemed to be at their peak. I've seen many of them two days before on my hike in Loafer Creek. 

Henderson's Shooting Star, Primula hendersonii

Blue dicks I've seen blooming at the North Table Mountain Preserve three days before. There they were just beginning their season. Here I saw them more open, closer to their peak bloom time.

Blue Dicks, Dipterostemon capitatus

I approached another, shorter but steeper uphill bit of the trail. At the top the trail widened into a dirt road. It was also the place where the high power line paralleled the trail from above. I could here the buzz of the electricity flowing over my head and the hair on my neck prickled. Under the large power line tower at the top of the hill was a  PG&E pickup truck/ The driver was sitting inside eating and checking his phone. He waved at me as I walked by. I waved back and started descending down to the diversion pool and the Brad Freeman Trail junction.

Dan Bebee Trail

To my relief the trail separated from the power line after a short distance and the buzz lessened and blended with other background noises. The clouds thickened again but for now the rain remained high in the sky. More buckbush bushes bloomed along the trail there, and I inhaled their sweet fragrance deep into myself.

Dan Bebee Trail

On the outside of the last curve of the Dan bebee Trail were large, moss-covered rocks. they looked interesting and I was compelled to get closer to check them out but the ring of poison oak that circled them deterred me.

I reached the Brad Freeman Trail and turned left, southbound. After a short distance along the Thermalito Diversion Pool the trail rose again above the active part of the railroad. I was getting close to the end of my hike.

Brad Freeman Trail

I noted the narrow foot path that led to the parking area but continued south on the Brad Freeman Trail for a few more yards to get a closer view of the Diversion Pool Dam where the power plant was. It looked like only two of the turbines were active at the time. On a tour I took at the Shasta Dam a few years ago we were told about the complex considerations of how much water to let out and how many turbines to operate at any given time. Electricity cannot be stores as such, and producing too much can overwhelm the network, so there is an ongoing give and take interactions between electricity producers and consumers covering a vast area to coordinate who gets how much and from which source. That's a big part of what dictates how many turbines will operate in any given time. It's quite interesting, actually.

Thermalito Diversion Pool Power Plant

Just before ascending back to the parking area I took some photos of some sweet pea flowers that bloomed at the base of the trail. Sweet pea is an invasive species in California, but it sure looks pretty.

Tangier Pea, Lathyrus tingitanus

Adding to the North Table Mountain Preserve, and the Loafer Creek hike, this hike was the last of the three trails that I wanted to scout before bringing my family hiking group on a camping trip to Oroville on the following month. It was an interesting experience all around - having to split it in the middle for a special event at home, and having the storm adding an adventurous aspect to the hole thing. I was very excited thinking ahead of the lovely wildflowers display that was expected there in April. As it happened, the camping trip didn't materialize last spring. I am hoping to make it happen next spring because this area sure is one of the best places in California to see the wonderful spring bloom, and has to offer a whole lot more of that in terms of nature and of human history. 

In the parking area my car was waiting, all fine and still all alone. I changed mu muddy shoes then took off. Moments after leaving Oroville the rain started again. The timing was perfect. 

Many thanks to the Explore Butte County channel for the informative videos about the Butte County treasures!