Perfect Pairings: Your January Itinerary

See the wildlife in the morn­ing; see the art it inspires in the afternoon.

Morn­ing: Expe­ri­ence the peak of the win­ter migra­tion at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. In Jan­u­ary, the sky lit­er­al­ly fills with thou­sands of Snow Geese and oth­er migrat­ing birds. It is a sen­so­ry expe­ri­ence unlike any oth­er in California.

After­noon: Bring that inspi­ra­tion indoors at the Muse­um of North­ern Cal­i­for­nia Art (mon­ca). Dur­ing the annu­al Snow Goose Festival in late Jan­u­ary, the muse­um hosts avian-themed exhibits that con­nect the beau­ty of the wet­lands to the cre­ativ­i­ty of local artists.

Self-Guid­ed Bird­ing: If field trips are sold out, don’t wor­ry! You can still enjoy your own self-guid­ed tours at great bird watch­ing spots across Butte County.

Chase the snow in the morn­ing; find a warm, local trea­sure in the afternoon.

Morn­ing: Head to Butte Mead­ows or Jonesville for a clas­sic snow day. At near­ly 5,000 feet, you can escape the val­ley rain and find your­self in a pine-cov­ered win­ter won­der­land per­fect for sled­ding, snow­shoe­ing, snow­mo­bil­ing, or build­ing a snowman.

After­noon: As you return to the val­ley, stop in Par­adise to warm up and dry off. Browse the vin­tage finds at Attic Trea­sures and Sky­way Antique Mall, or pick up local­ly made gifts at Coy­ote Ridge Mer­can­tile. Before you head home, grab a bag of world-famous beer brit­tle at Joy Lyn’s Can­dies.

See the mod­ern scale of the dam in the morn­ing; explore indoors in the afternoon.

Morn­ing: Vis­it the Lake Oroville Vis­i­tors Cen­ter. Jan­u­ary rains make the lake and the nation’s tallest dam a sight to behold. Climb the 47-foot obser­va­tion tow­er for a 360-degree view of the val­ley, the Sier­ra Neva­da foothills, and the lake just as it starts fill­ing with win­ter rains.

Look­ing for more adven­ture? Explore the sur­pris­ing­ly beau­ti­ful trails around Lake Oroville for a dif­fer­ent per­spec­tive of the area.

Evening: Make it a ​“Din­ner and a Show” night. Enjoy a meal in Down­town Oroville fol­lowed by a live per­for­mance at The­atre on the Ridge in Par­adise — the longest-run­ning com­mu­ni­ty the­ater in the North State.

Clear your head in the park; treat your body to a healthy, arti­sanal mocktail.

Morn­ing: Start the day with a crisp morn­ing walk through Bid­well Park. Whether you’re explor­ing the easy trails in Low­er Park or push­ing your­self on the more rugged ter­rain in Upper Park, the win­ter rains turn the park lush and green, mak­ing it the per­fect place for a New Year’s reset.

After­noon: Con­tin­ue your well­ness streak with a ​“zero-proof” tour in Chico. Vis­it Roselle Bar & Lounge or Strong Water for a sophis­ti­cat­ed botan­i­cal mock­tail, or stop by All the Bit­ter to enjoy tast­ings and a tour at Chico’s award-win­ning non-alco­holic bit­ters makers.

• High-Coun­try Prep: If you’re head­ing to Butte Mead­ows or Jonesville, always check the weath­er fore­cast and car­ry tire chains, as moun­tain con­di­tions can change rapidly.
• Snow Goose Fes­ti­val: Field trips and work­shops sell out ear­ly! If you’re vis­it­ing dur­ing the last week­end of Jan­u­ary, check their web­site in advance for registration.
• Lay­er Up: Jan­u­ary weath­er can range from sun­ny to rainy in the same after­noon. Dress­ing in lay­ers ensures you’ll be com­fort­able for both your out­door ​“Thrill” and your indoor ​“Chill.”