Guided hike into world's smallest mountain range: Sutter Buttes
Guided hikes provide rare glimpse into ancient volcanic peaks near Yuba City
Published 4:00 am, Sunday, March 16, 2008
Climbing through oak woodlands, up narrow cow paths and over a wild boar's toothy jawbone wedged in a stream, I finally arrived - out of breath and last in my group of 20 - at a high ridge overlooking a bucolic valley of farms and ranches. We had just hiked up what's often called the world's smallest mountain range - and certainly one of its most obscure.
The Sutter Buttes, with their peaks of ancient volcanic rock, are a stony surprise rising up from the Sacramento Valley and its vast green rice fields. An inland island during the era when the northern valley flooded, the multi-crested mountain range was revered by the once prevalent Maidu Indians. It's farmed now by families who for generations have run sheep and cattle ranches on the slopes of the extinct volcano's 10-mile circumference.
Intrigued visitors drive county roads that skirt the Buttes, located roughly between Yuba City and Live Oak, but very few roam the interior, most of which is privately owned and behind locked gates. My elite group was able to explore the seldom-seen terrain by signing up for one of a series of spring hikes arranged by the nonprofit Middle Mountain Foundation, dedicated to protecting the Buttes from development.
"There's a mystery to the Buttes," said Mike Hubbartt, a hike leader for more than a decade. "There's something compelling and dramatic and suddenly emotional that affects people. There's something spiritually powerful about them."
The diverse outings, which continue through May 17, include climbs to high canyon ridges, moonlight strolls, geology, birding and native culture treks, plus one devoted to bat research. They span a range of difficulty from strenuous summit ascents to simple wildflower rambles with sketchbook in hand.
Thrust up through the valley floor approximately 1.5 million years ago, the Sutter Buttes are not geologically linked to other mountains in northern California. Lilliputian in contrast to the mighty Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coast Range to the west, the Buttes with their distinctive size stir up a "heightened sense of curiosity," according to Hubbartt.
It's a curiosity rarely diminished by one excursion. An initial journey into that unusual landscape will make you hunger for more.
"Going up into the interior is like going back at least 200 years," said Karen Morrison, spokeswoman and hike scheduler for the Middle Mountain Foundation.
Hikers definitely leave civilization behind. On an early spring morning our group of about 20 carpooled from a Yuba City meeting point. We turned onto a single-lane dirt road and passed through a series of bolted gates as if we were unlocking a treasure.
Before us were dew-glistening grasslands, lichen-limbed oaks, the first green sloping hills of chaparral leading to our steeper climb - and that wild boar's jagged-toothed jawbone.
A hawk's screech pierced the sky-blue silence. It was hard to remember that a few miles away cell phones squawked and hammers thumped nails into boards as more huge houses ate up the Central Valley's fertile farmland.
Walt Anderson led the hike that day. Now a professor in Arizona, he and his wife, Rebecca, started the organization that eventually became the Middle Mountain Foundation. He was in the north state at the time to launch his second book about the Sutter Buttes.
"People see so much altered landscape," he said in a recent phone interview. "The Buttes are a slice of old California that's hard to find."
To see the Butte's unaltered landscape, you'll need good hiking boots plus water and food and enough agility to hop over rocks and streams and clamber up hills even on the easiest hikes. Only attempt the most difficult climbs if you're in excellent physical condition.
Morrison schedules hikes for fall and winter. There are none in summer because of fire danger and rattlesnakes.
"I've rarely seen one," Morrison said, "but snakes offer a natural deterrent to trespassers."
Science illustrator and botanist Valerie Lane leads art hikes.
"Almost every place in the Buttes is scenic, so it's easy to find a spot for sketching," she said. "It's so peaceful there. Every hike is different no matter when you go."
The foundation's president Laura Lush guides hikes under a full moon.
"It's always cool to go out to the Buttes. At night you add another layer ... you put yourself in another atmosphere and give people a chance to feel the night around them," she said.
Before dusk, she heads to the Buttes with her hikers.
"You watch the sun go down, feel the energy change. The birds get quiet. This time of year you hear the geese overhead. In the moonlight you see the shadows of trees."
No matter the time of day, those lucky enough to trek the Sutter Buttes likely feel that they're in the calm center of an ancient and sacred universe. All that right in the middle of the world's smallest mountain range.
If you go
All addresses are in Yuba City unless noted.
Yuba City is about 125 miles northeast of San Francisco. Take I-80 toward Sacramento, connect with I-5 north to Highway 99 to Yuba City. To explore the circumference of the Sutter Buttes by car or bike, take the 45-mile loop of county roads that circles them. Pass Road goes through the Buttes on the south side.
Where to stay
Best Western Bonanza Inn, 1001 Clark Ave., (530) 674-8824, www.bwbonanzainn.com. Older hotel with a full-service restaurant, coffee shop and well-kept updated rooms, including a flat-screen TV, microwave and mini-fridge. $73 (online rate) to $90 per night.
Where to eat
The City Cafe, 667 Plumas St. #C. (530) 671-1501. Delectable Mediterranean-style cuisine served in two high ceilinged rooms with a huge wall mural and eclectic artwork. $14 to $37.
Paradiso, 885 Richland Rd. (530) 751-7777. The intimate dining room has blue and white overlaid tablecloths, a piano playing softly and savory foods arriving from the adventurous kitchen. Try the Basque lamb special with sauteed garlic. $16 to $26.
What to do
Sutter Buttes hikes are scheduled through the Middle Mountain Foundation, (530) 671-6116, www.middlemountain.org. Most hikes cost $35. While some sell out quickly, others offer wait lists and press times openings remained on various hikes through May 17. You can charter a customized private hike for up to 10 people for a fee of $300; add $30 for each additional person. Most hikes aren't suitable for children, so inquire in advance.
For more information
Yuba Sutter-Chamber of Commerce, 429 10th Street, Marysville, CA. (530) 743-6501, www.visityubasutter.com.