Touring *

From State Highway 99 north of downtown Chico, exit north on Cohasset Road (to the south it's Mangrove Avenue) and proceed 1.5 miles to East Eaton Road. Turn left and park on the shoulder. You'll see the trail at the intersection, running north and south.

Starting at East Eaton Road, you can piece together a well-paved and varied tour of northern Chico. Start by skating north on the path that connects to the Chico Municipal Airport. The prime pavement crosses Sycamore Creek and proceeds one mile through open fields, up to the semi-industrial area surrounding the airport, to its termination at Marauder Street. In the surrounding blocks, several streets with aviation-related names and good pavement invite exploration during low-traffic periods. To continue this tour, return to where you started at the East Eaton intersection, go east to cross Cohasset, and skate on East Eaton Street in the bike lane. After one long block, a housing development appears on the left; cross to the trail that starts here, passing behind the homes. This is a slightly marshy area with beautiful vistas of the hills to the east across broad, grassy fields. The asphalt nature trail ends after only a third of a mile, at East Lassen Avenue. Skate west on wide East Lassen to return to and cross Cohasset, on the south side of East Lassen. A block or so beyond the intersection, you'll meet the Airport Connection trail a block south of where you started.

For the last leg of this trip, skate south on a narrow but attractive corridor between backyards. Streetlights make this a viable commute route for Chico's residents even during the short days of winter. The trail makes its way through neighborhoods and across a few streets to the Lindo Channel. Cross the bridge over the channel; on the other side, the fine asphalt of the dedicated trail terminates in front of the Chico Nut building at the north end of Chico's Esplanade. You can skate one mile south on either of the two frontage roads next to the Eplanade to reach downtown, the college, and the Bidwell Mansion.