Portola (/pɔːrˈtoʊlə/ por-TOH-lə) is the only incorporated city in Plumas County, California, United States.

The museum is famous for its Run A Locomotive program, where the public can participate in a "fantasy experience" program allowing them to run a railroad locomotive on the museum grounds.

Portola was in the national media spotlight in 1996–1997 when a conflict occurred between the local community and the Department of Fish and Game over how to deal with an invasive species of northern pike in Lake Davis.

In early September 2007, the California Department of Fish and Game eradicated the pike[6] using CFT Legumine, a new liquid formulation of rotenone.

[7] The town of Portola sits along both sides of the middle fork of the Feather River, in Plumas County, on the upper eastern part of Northern California.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km2), all of it land.

Portola lies on the Middle Fork of the Feather River in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Feather River originate just east of Portola in Sierra Valley, near Beckwourth.

About 15 miles (24 km) to the west and southwest of Portola, Plumas-Eureka State Park and Lakes Basin Recreation Area feature granite peaks, glacial lakes, streams, and temperate coniferous forests, which make them popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts.

[10][11] Being on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Portola has a continental Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Dsb) with dry summers characterized by extreme diurnal temperature swings, and cold (though not severe) and snowy winters.

Extreme cold is rare and temperatures below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) are observed on only 2.6 mornings per winter in an average year.

There were 1,134 housing units at an average density of 209.7 per square mile (81.0/km2), of which 482 (54.3%) were owner-occupied, and 405 (45.7%) were occupied by renters.