Ride & Refuel in Chico: Connecting Lower Park to the City with the Bikeway 99 Bridge

The City of Chico recently unveiled the Bikeway 99 Bridge, a massive piece of infrastructure that closed the gap on a nearly 7-mile stretch of the Bikeway 99 bike corridor and established a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists alike. 

Naturally, we had to check it out in the latest installment of our Ride & Refuel series.

Ride & Refuel is a shared project between Travel Chico and Tails, Ales & Trails dedicated to showing locals, visitors and everyone in between that when we say Chico is a cycling town, we mean it. 

The city offers a vast network of cycling-friendly roadways, scenic routes, and miles of trails that are always a short ride away from the community’s delicious food and drink scene. 

Each month, we embark on one of Chico’s countless cycling routes, then cap things off with a stop at a local establishment to reap the rewards of the calories we just burned. Our inaugural ride featured mountain biking in Upper Bidwell Park followed by a cozy brunch on the patio at Cafe Coda.

This month, we swapped the mountain bikes for their gravel counterparts and set off through the paved roadways and enchanting trees of Chico’s Lower Bidwell Park, also known as the Lower Park Loop. 

We were joined on the ride by Robert Jines, a friend and local cycling advocate, as well as Whitney Garcia, co-manager of Chico Velo, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cycling throughout Chico and its surrounding areas. 

Chico Velo is integral to the community when it comes to supporting initiatives that make biking safer and accessible in town, and Whitney lives and breathes that mission through both her professional and personal endeavors as a well-known cyclist in the area. 

The Lower Park Loop is an easy cruise that’s well-suited for cyclists, walkers, and runners of all skill levels, all while keeping you encompassed in the beauty of the park itself. 

For our purposes, we took advantage of a warm fall evening and rode the entire loop, running up South Park Drive before hooking a left just before the road stretches past Manzanita, instead returning right on Peterson Memorial Way.

After logging a full lap, we hopped across Highway 32 to the Bikeway 99, an aptly named bike path that splits the middle between a busy freeway and a collection of neighborhoods and the Chico Mall. 

We pedaled straight to the brand-new Bikeway 99 bridge, stopping at the base to catch our breath and take in the spectacle itself. 

The City of Chico said the bridge’s design was meant to incorporate the history, culture and atmosphere of the city itself. Especially when it’s illuminated at night, the new bridge checks each of those boxes. 

The bridge, a $23.5 million project, was funded primarily by grants from state and federal programs like the Active Transportation Program (ATP) and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ).

The city of Chico’s mission for the bridge—to establish a safe link to destinations on both sides of East 20th Street, close a significant gap in cycling infrastructure, and continue its long-term efforts to make biking in Chico safer and more connected.

Per Caltrans, the purpose of ATP is to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation through access, safety and mobility, whereas the CMAQ serves as a flexible funding source available to state and local governments to support transportation projects and programs that reduce congestion and improve air quality. 

By establishing the Bikeway 99 bridge as a project that would take great strides towards improving safety, connecting key destinations, reducing emissions, and supporting equity, the city secured more than $18 million in grant funding from the two programs to bring the infrastructure to life.    

Back on our ride, we cruised over the top of the bridge, stopping briefly to give way to a family out on their own weekday ride, then doubled back to continue on to our final destination. 

Depending on whether you want to ride through the heart of the bustling businesses that make up the south end of Chico, or whether you'd rather retrace your tread marks and take a more mellow stroll along Springfield Drive, locally-owned eats are just a few shifted gears away.

Before long, we had entered Meriam Park, Chico’s newest collection of eateries and establishments, including favorites like Roselle Bar and Lounge, Savor Ice Cream, Namasake Sushi and so much more. That evening, our eyes (and our stomachs) were set on replenishing carbs on the picturesque patio at Farmers Brewing, while our bikes waited for us at the restaurant’s built-in bike racks.

Farmers, a Princeton, CA based brewery and one of the earliest residents of Meriam Park, offers a deep selection of delicious craft beer geared towards easy-drinking varieties like lagers and wheat ales—though my personal favorite, the Garage Dweller, is a hazy IPA that rivals the best hazy’s in Chico.

The taproom also doubles as a full restaurant, all while hosting one of the more inviting patios in the entire city. We snacked on an order of Crazy Nachos while enjoying a beer and the sunset in between a game (or two) of cornhole.

Our night ended as effortlessly as it started, albeit with the aid of a bike light or two. We made our way back to Lower Park and slowly whittled down the group, breaking off the trail at our respective exits to head home. In all, we totaled 12 miles filled with exploring new cycling infrastructure, chowing down on local grub, and spending time with good friends.  

Whether you’re new in town, visiting for the weekend, or a longtime Chicoan, there’s no shortage of adventures waiting for you on two wheels in Chico. 

It’s a place where you can explore a purpose-built outdoor playground right in your backyard, take in the city’s latest commitment to bolstering biking culture, and enjoy one of the dozens of delicious local eateries that have put roots down in the town so many of us call home.

To learn more about biking in Chico, including biking essentials, popular routes and more, check out our guide to riding in town. 

And, since you’re clicking around, don’t forget to check out Tails, Ales & Trails! We’re a platform dedicated to highlighting craft culture, outdoor adventures, and telling the stories of inspiring folks who share our same passions for great beer and awesome rides. Cheers!