Locat­ed in North­ern Cal­i­for­nia, where the fer­tile val­ley floor meets the recre­ation-rich Sier­ra Neva­da and Cas­cade moun­tain ranges, Butte Coun­ty exem­pli­fies how seem­ing­ly con­trast­ing char­ac­ter­is­tics - val­leys and moun­tains, rur­al com­mu­ni­ties and urban cen­ters, farms and cities - come togeth­er perfectly.

Hid­den in his­toric Stir­ling City, Clotilde Mer­lo Park is a des­ti­na­tion for those seek­ing nat­ur­al beau­ty and tran­quil­i­ty. Vis­i­tors will quick­ly notice that this is no ordi­nary park once they start walk­ing around the care­ful­ly designed and main­tained grounds. At 3,500 feet in ele­va­tion, Mer­lo Park is also one of the cool­er places in Butte Coun­ty to take a walk.