Bear Valley, Colusa County, California Explained

Bear Valley
Region:	Colusa County
State:	California
Country:	United States
Length Mi:	12.5
Elevation Ft:	1310
Map:	USA California
Relief:	1
Map Width:	250
Coordinates:	39.1381°N -122.433°W

Bear Valley in Colusa County, California is formed by Bear Creek which is a tributary of Cache Creek.

Upstream in the Bear Creek watershed the creek flows for 10 miles through a broad flat valley that has spectacular displays of wildflowers in the spring.^[1]

The Bear Valley Ranch and Payne Ranch in Bear Valley have been permanently protected through a conservation easement that precludes development on the property, while permitting traditional cattle ranching to continue.^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

Hiking through the valley is not permitted, but many people visit Bear Valley and neighboring valleys each spring for roadside viewing of this wildflower hotspot.^[6] ^[7] ^[8]

Notes and References

Web site: Wildflower Viewing - Colusa County Resource Conservation District. 16 March 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130224012122/http://www.colusarcd.org/homepagefiles/WildflowerViewing.htm. 24 February 2013. dead.
Web site: Bear Valley Ranch - American Land Conservancy . 16 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130613053033/http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california/bear . 13 June 2013 .
Web site: Payne Ranch American Land Conservancy. 16 March 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130613062158/http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california/payne. 13 June 2013. dead.
Web site: A Cache of Treasures - American Land Conservancy - pdf . 16 March 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520165118/http://www.alcnet.org/CacheofTreasures.pdf . 20 May 2011 .
Web site: Bear Valley - California Rangeland Trust. 16 March 2013.
Web site: Bear Valley wildflowers - Sierra Club Trails. 16 March 2013.
Web site: Wildflower Destinations in the West VIA Magazine March/April 2004. 16 March 2013.
Web site: Bear Valley wildflower viewing - Daviswiki. 16 March 2013.