The Daily Outside: Titlow Bird Walk, Snowshoeing Out at Rainier 1.18.26
Sunday’s Daily Outside drifts between feather and frost — a morning spent reading birds along Puget Sound, followed by a snow-muted wander where the mountain slows everything down and quietly takes the lead.
Birds & Coastal Forest Wandering
Parks Tacoma — Titlow Bird Walk
Sunday, Jan. 18, 8:30–10:30 a.m.
Titlow Park
Meet at the rear of the Titlow Lodge parking lot, near the water
Free, drop-in, no registration required
This is a walk built for attention. Titlow Park layers shoreline, forest, and open water into a compact, quietly busy landscape where birds move with purpose and patience is rewarded. Led by a park guide, the Titlow Bird Walk invites you to scan the beach, tree line, and forest edges for seasonal residents and migratory visitors using this corner of Puget Sound as both refuge and thoroughfare.
The route threads through shoreline and wooded sections, covering up to two miles at an easy pace with frequent pauses to identify species, talk behavior, and answer the kinds of questions that only come up when you’re actually standing still. The goal isn’t distance — it’s learning how to see what’s already there.
Bring binoculars if you have them; a limited number are available to borrow. Expect uneven, unpaved trails and changing coastal conditions. Beginners and longtime birders mix easily here, because curiosity does most of the heavy lifting.
Held the third Sunday of every month and free to attend. Dress for salt air, show up unhurried, and plan to leave knowing the park a little better than when you arrived.
For questions: Park Guide Alex, (253) 298-2693
For more info: Parks Tacoma — Park Guide bird walks
Winter Travel & Guided Learning
Mount Rainier National Park — Snowshoe Guided Experience
Saturdays & Sundays, Jan. 10–March 30, 2026
11 a.m. start | approx. 2 hours (1.5 miles)
Meet inside the Jackson Visitor Center
Free program (park entrance fee required)
This is Rainier in winter, translated. The Snowshoe Guided Experience at Paradise offers a ranger-led walk into the park’s snowbound interior, where quiet replaces crowds and the landscape explains itself one careful step at a time.
Starting at 11 a.m., rangers lead a roughly 1.5-mile route through evergreen forest and open alpine terrain, focusing less on mileage and more on understanding. How plants survive months under snow. How animals move, hide, and wait. How people have learned to travel through conditions that look severe but hum with subtle life.
Snowshoes are provided, lowering the barrier for first-timers while still offering something meaningful for experienced winter travelers. The pace is measured and conversational, with frequent stops for questions, observation, and the occasional moment when clouds part and Rainier reminds everyone who sets the terms here.
Walks are first-come, first-served and limited to 25 participants. Sign-ups begin one hour before the walk at the visitor center information desk, and all participants must be present to register. Ages 8 and up are suggested.
Dress for real winter: layered insulation, waterproof boots, hat, mittens, and eye protection. Even with snowshoes, expect soft snow and shifting conditions. Walks may be canceled for safety or weather — flexibility is part of the deal.
One of the most approachable ways to experience Rainier’s winter season: no special gear required, just patience, curiosity, and a willingness to move at mountain speed.
For more info: National Park Service — Mount Rainier snowshoe walks
Afterward, meet up at Peaks & Pints
We suggest easing back into civilization with a thoughtful debrief over our house pours — Lumberbeard Cut-Off Flannel IPA and Finnriver Buckhorn Dry Cider — because a day spent tracking birds and snowshoeing with rangers deserves a warm seat, a good glass, and a conversation about who saw what, where the light broke through, and whether winter was feeling generous or merely tolerable.
LINK: The Daily Outside explained
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
