Portola is a community located in picturesque eastern Plumas County (total population 23,000) in Northern California with a permanent population of 2249.  It sits roughly between the CA Highway 99 corridor (central CA) and the Nevada state line about 60 miles north of Lake Tahoe and 150 miles south of the Oregon border.   Plumas County occupies 2,554 square miles (about the size of the state of Delaware) with low population density of about 8 persons per square mile.  The only incorporated city is Portola with the county seat in Quincy, an unincorporated town to the west.  This county includes Lake Almanor in the northwest quadrant to Portola and surrounding communities in the southeast quadrant.

Plumas County gets name from Spanish Rio de las Plumas.  The area economy used to be resource based with mining and farming, but has been diversified into tourism and service based economy.  Among the areas biggest employers are the U.S. Forest Service followed by the county government, schools and healthcare.

Interestlingly, Portola is named after the explorer Gaspar de Portola.  The daughter of a railroad employee had been in San Francisco participating in a parade honoring Gaspar de Portola and the town got named in his honor.  The town had many names before that.   Portola is due to celebrate its centennial in 2009.  Portola started out as a logging town with local railroads and the Western Pacific Railroad built through in the early 1900's.  A location on the WP, called the Keddie Wye was named for the land surveyor Arthur Keddie and spans Spanish Creek on converging trestle bridges.  The WP was the last railroad completed into California as well as the first railroad to completely dieselize.  This place is widely known as a railroad town with the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, one of the nation's best railroad museums which is a great destination for families with kids.  I made my first visit many years ago to run a locomotive.  Every railfan wants to do that!  You can still run a locomotive at the WPRR Museum.  The museum is located on the grounds of the old Western Pacific railroad machine shop.  There are many tracks full of historic railroad equipment.  Museum members come from some distance away to work on the museum equipment.  The museum has a gift store with all types of rail paraphernalia. 

There are many championship golf courses throughout the area, including the Grizzly Ranch private golf course in Portola.   Nearby, Graeagle is known as golf course mecca with at least 6 courses. Graeagle, 10 miles away close to Portola, has one of the smallest state parks, Plumas Eureka State Park  The park, sitting at the base of Eureka Peak, is very unique featuring a bunkhouse used by miners and an annual living history day.  A unique event is the annual Historic Longboard Revival Series ski races staged on the third Sundays of January, February and March, depending on snow.  The participants, dressed in period costumes use 11 to 13 foot skiis reaching 40-50 mph.  This a recreation by the ski club at the site of the first recorded downhill ski races took place in all of north America.  The participants use period costume too.  There is also music and food at this event which takes place at Plumas Eureka State Park.  Just south of  Plumas Eureka State Park is the Lakes Basin Recreation Area.  Even though it is not in Plumas County, it is a great destination spot if you love alpine lakes tucked up against the Sierra Buttes which reach 8591' elevation.  There is a resort at Sardine Lakes which is so popular, it takes several years to get reservations.  Both Portola and the Graeagle are popular as locations to own a vacation home.  The same is true for the Chester/Lake Almanor area.