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Thousands of white snow geese and grey-brown young birds stand on a green field on Fir Island in low sunlight, the flock stretching back to a strip of low hills on the horizon.

Day Trips/October 19, 2026

Snow geese in the Skagit Valley: when and where to see them

Snow geese in the Skagit Valley: WDFW's Fir Island reserve and three more stops, with the pass, the hours, the hunting overlap and the drive from Enumclaw.

The view from Rattlesnake Ledge in January, with snow-covered rock in the foreground, Rattlesnake Lake below partly frozen and edged with snow, and snowy forest fading into low cloud and mist.

Outdoors & River/October 19, 2026

Rattlesnake Ledge in winter: parking, the pass and the ice

Rattlesnake Ledge in winter: Seattle lists parking as free, DNR says a Discover Pass is required. What each covers, the ice, the hours, the drive.

A digger in brown waders and a blue shirt bends over a clam shovel on a wet Washington beach, a blue heeler dog standing beside him, with dozens of other diggers spread along the surf line under a grey sky.

Day Trips/October 19, 2026

Razor clam digs in Washington wait on two toxin tests

WDFW approved razor clam digs at Copalis and Mocrocks Oct. 26 to 29, 2026. How dates are set, the toxin tests, the license, the 15-clam limit and the drive.

A black-tailed deer buck with velvet-covered antlers walks through a wildflower meadow in front of a stand of conifers along the Myrtle Falls Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, with two more deer out of focus in the grass behind it.

Outdoors & River/October 16, 2026

Hunting season in Washington, the dates hikers should know

Hunting season in Washington, 2026: rifle deer Oct. 17 to Nov. 1 near Enumclaw, rifle elk Nov. 7 to 18 on the plateau. Where hunting is barred, what to wear.

A broad band of green aurora, with pink and violet rays rising above it, arcs across a starry sky over a dark mountain ridgeline with patches of snow.

Outdoors & River/October 16, 2026

Northern lights in Washington, when and where to look

Northern lights in Washington: the Kp to watch, the hours and season that count, how to read the forecast, and where near Enumclaw you may be after dark.

Mount St. Helens at sundown, its snow-streaked summit broken open into a wide crater facing the camera, above gray, gullied ground cut by a braided stream.

Local Life/October 16, 2026

Volcanoes in Washington state, the 7 on the USGS threat list

Volcanoes in Washington state: the USGS ranks seven, with St. Helens and Rainier 2nd and 3rd in the nation. Last eruptions, heights and miles from Enumclaw.

Snow-covered Mount Rainier rises above blue forested ridges and a green valley, seen past white-flowering shrubs and a young conifer from the Pinnacle Peak trail near Enumclaw.

Day Trips/October 16, 2026

Mount Rainier viewpoints near Enumclaw, nearest first

Mount Rainier viewpoints near Enumclaw, nearest first: Mount Peak, Orting, Lake Tapps, Crystal, Tipsoo Lake, Sunrise and Paradise, with fees and closures.

Broken red brick lies heaped across a Pioneer Square sidewalk in Seattle beneath the punctured green awnings of the Fenix Underground and Fenix Cafe, with yellow caution tape strung at left.

Local Life/October 16, 2026

Biggest earthquakes in Washington state history, ranked

The biggest earthquake in Washington state history was Cascadia's in 1700, near M9. Since then, 1872 and 2001 lead at 6.8; 1949 and 1965 tie at 6.7, per USGS.

The cream-colored cars of a Discovery Tram, with dark roofs, strung along a paved road through tall conifers and sunlit dry grass at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.

Day Trips/October 15, 2026

Northwest Trek hours, ticket prices and how the tram works

Northwest Trek hours, ticket prices and how the tram tour works, plus the drive from Enumclaw and where eight Dambo trolls stand through January 24, 2027.

Snoqualmie Falls pours a wide white curtain into a misty gorge between dark, mossy cliffs, with the Salish Lodge on the clifftop at upper left and a low dam across the river just above the brink.

Day Trips/October 15, 2026

Snoqualmie Falls parking, the hike and the flow rate

Snoqualmie Falls parking: which two lots are free, the 1.4-mile hike to the river and back, and the USGS gauge that shows how big the river is running.

A chairlift runs down through snowy firs toward the Stevens Pass base area, with lodges, parking lots and a curving highway in the valley below and snow-streaked forested ridges under a pale sky.

Outdoors & River/October 15, 2026

Ski areas near Tacoma and Enumclaw, with winter road miles

Ski areas near Tacoma and Enumclaw by winter road miles: Crystal 40 from Enumclaw, White Pass 119 once Cayuse closes, 2026 opening dates and night skiing.

A stack of smooth, plate-shaped lenticular clouds lying just above the snow-covered summit of Mount Rainier, over a dark forested ridge and bare winter trees.

Local Life/October 15, 2026

Mount Rainier lenticular clouds, and what the hat means

Mount Rainier lenticular clouds mark a standing wave of moist air. What the hat says about rain, why climbers and pilots heed it, and the 1947 UFO theory.