We’d been driving all day — up to I80 to Highway 89 and Sierraville near Tahoe, looping over to Quincy on Highway 70 and returning on the same road to Oroville and back down out of the mountains into the flats of the Central Valley north of Sacramento.
It’s board-flat for miles heading south toward Yubaville, then up on the right, these crags appear in the distance. I had no idea what they were, but knew it’d be cool to head over there and check ’em out.
They’re called the Sutter Buttes — surrounded by private property and essentially inaccessible. Just a bunch of old, extinct volcanoes (though what fun it’d be if they became active again!). That Other Tom wrote about them the other day, mentioning an organization that leads guided hikes there.
The Buttes are the series of miniature mountains and volcanic spires located between Williams and Colusa, about 50 miles north of Sacramento. Because the Sutter Buttes are surrounded by privately owned ranches, the access roads that lead to the interior valley and trailheads for summits are blocked by locked gates.
The owners of the interior mountain tops, the Middle Mountain Foundation, will unlock those gates for a series of guided treks on weekends from now through May. They include a trek to the North Butte, my favorite here. Guided trips to see wildlife, ridge views, artifacts and others also are available.
www.middlemountain.org generally charges $35 to take people there and show ’em around.
A typical day in the Buttes begins at 8:00 am and ends around 3:30 pm (unless otherwise noted). Trips are scheduled and will proceed in all but the most severe weather conditions. Participants of all hikes should be prepared to expect uneven footing, stepping over rocks and boulders, crossing streams, and hill climbing. Spring hikers are likely to encounter wet, squishy, ankle-deep grass, while fall trekkers will be contending with thistles and stickers. Poison oak is abundant, but you will be warned of its proximity. Rattlesnakes, though common in the warmer weather, are usually reclusive and inactive during our hiking seasons. Hikes are limited to 20 unless otherwise stated.
If this isn’t on your must-hike list, it oughta be.
(Sutter Buttes pictures at flickr.com.)
A bike ride conducted by Chico Velo loops around the Sutter Buttes, and the flyer suggests they’re the “world’s smallest mountain range.”
That’s a cocktail party trivia killer if ever I saw one.
I’d seen the “world’s smallest” line somewhere before — a bit of a stretch, it’s just old volcanoes — but when you approach from a distance they do look exactly like a mountain range.
I’ve been on a guided hike to the Sutter Buttes for $55 w/ Middle Mtn and I thought it was just ok. My friend has been twice on different hikes and we both again it’s really not worth the cost. Best to wait for many yrs and maybe it’ll become a state park so everyone can join it without all the trouble & cost.
Tom, wanted to link to my friend Andrew’s pics of his last hike to the Buttes:
http://andeys.com/nature.php/thumb/springmtnview/?new=2
Ann: thanks for the input … I guess it’s cooler from a distance than up close.
Is this publicly owned land that’s surrounded by private land? That’s one my biggest pet peeves: when landowners hold all access to public lands and refuse to let the public through. (It happens more than you might imagine here in Utah).
Actually, it’s not quite as simple as publicly owned land surounded by private land. Basically, the State bought a parcel of land in the interior portion of the Buttes known as Peace Valley. At this point in time, the State of California is still trying to figure out what to do with the land. But when/if they DO decide to make a State Park out of it, they would almost certainly be able to aquire an access route (by eminent domain, if need be). But the fact of the matter is that the fact that it is currently surrounded by private property makes no difference. Accsss to the land at this point in time would certainly be barred by the State even if access roads were NOT a problem.