In Oct. 2002 Lake Oroville's water level was very low

Note how low the water level was

Bidwell Marina Dec. 2002 when the water level was at 210 feet from the top

Here is the ramp at 145 below the top of the dam.

Bidwell Marina area at 33 feet from the crest of the dam.

Looking on to the (read "no") parking lot from Bidwell Marina
at 7 feet from the crest (May 19, 2003).

From Bidwell Marina to: Berry Creek = 12.0 miles Bloomer's Ravine Creek anchorage = 6.5 miles Concow Creek = 15.5 miles Enterprise Bridge = 6.0 miles Feather Falls view point = 11.0 miles French Creek = 14.0 miles Goat Ranch = 8.0 miles Lime Saddle Marina = 11.5 miles Poe Dam = 17.0 miles Ponderosa Dam = 8.5 miles Potter's Ravine anchorage = 3.0 miles Spring Valley Gulch anchorage = 9.5 miles Sycamore Cove = 4.0 miles

Oroville Dam was finished in 1968, creating the main storage site for the State of California Water Project and provides relief from floods in areas below the dam, including the city of Oroville. The dam stopped the salmon run in the South Fork of the Feather River because the fish can't get past the dam to spawn. The dam also destroyed one of the best small-mouth bass fishing areas, from Riverbend Park up to the middle and north fork of the Feather River. Sailing is a year round sport on the lake as well as fishing. Beneath the Lake Oroville Dam there is a cavern as large as the state capitol building and it houses six electric power generation units. The dam was built just below the point where the Feather River's north, middle, and south branches come together. Lake Oroville has a surface area of 24 square miles, a capacity of 3 1/2 million acre-feet.

Average time to drive to Lake Oroville:
Sacramento	1.25
San Francisco	3 hrs
San Jose	4 hrs
Los Angeles	8 hrs
Reno	3 hrs
Chico	35 min

Average Temperatures Lake Oroville:
Month	Air Hi/Lo	Water
Jan	52/35	46
Feb	59/41	47
Mar	61/43	48
Apr	70/46	53
May	83/53	64
Jun	88/55	71
Jul	95/62	77
Aug	93/61	75
Sep	87/56	72
Oct	77/52	65
Nov	60/40	55
Dec	56/40	50