In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about a collection of stories including the start of winter recreation season, the controversial drawdowns at Green Peter Reservoir and some fun winter adventures including skiing, hiking at Silver Falls and celebrating "yurtmas" by touring Christmas lights at the Coast.The podcast features interviews from KL…

In this episode, host Zach Urness and intern Alexander Banks talk about the iconic — and popular — hike to Pittock Mansion. Beginning in the heart of Portland, the route takes hikers through Forest Park landmarks and up to one of the most beautiful vistas in the Rose City. For additional prospective, Banks also talks with guidebook author Matt Reed…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with three people who worked to rebuild a stunning mountaintop fire lookout in southern Oregon where visitors can spend the night.In 2020, Bolan Mountain Lookout was burned by the Slater Fire. Four years later, a district ranger and the leader of a nonprofit, along with his dad, spearheaded rebuilding a looko…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with a Klamath River outfitter about how the largest dam removal project in United State history has transformed the river by returning salmon and opening new stretches of river hidden for over a century. Will Volpert, owner of southern Oregon's Indigo Creek Outfitters, has been rafting every stretch of what …

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with Oregon State Climatologist Larry O'Neill about the forecast for the winter of 2024-25. O'Neill details why a forecasted weak La Nina system could result in a cooler and wetter winter than normal and what that means for the state overall, including for skiing and winter recre…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Elliott Deins talk about backpacking the Three Sisters Wilderness and "float tube fishing" in Oregon's backcountry lakes. Deins breaks down one of Oregon's most beautiful and challenging backpacking routes, the Broken Top Loop, including how many miles it takes, whe…

In this episode, host Zach Urness goes deep on the record coho salmon runs in the Upper Willamette Basin. Urness talks with Chris Kern, the west region manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, about what makes coho unique, why their numbers have been skyrocketing and how anglers can catch them.…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about three different major stories involving salmon in Oregon. And, he posts a really fun song about salmon sent to him by a reader. Stories: -A record-breaking run of coho salmon in the Upper Willamette Basin-Salmon reaching spawning grounds on the Klamath River for the first time in over a century -The tou…

In this episode, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Skyla Patton get excited about the peak season for finding Oregon's delicious and beautiful state mushroom.In an interview first recorded in 2022, Patton breaks down everything about the Pacific Golden Chanterelle, including where and when to find it, how to eat it, how to get permits to harvest…

In this edition, Zach talks about a collection of outdoor stories including: -A group of women who went backpacking in the Three Sisters Wilderness and had to evacuate when multiple wildfires ignited all around them. -A record wildfire season for acres burned in the PNW and Oregon. -Contrasting views on how to protect Oregon's Owyhee Canyonlands. -…

In this episode, Zach talks with outdoors journalism intern Elliott Deins about how to explore underwater at Clear Lake.Deins reports on the origins of Clear Lake, what makes it interesting, why it’s a hotspot for divers and the best gear to plunge into the frigid waters.With consistent visibility over 100 feet and water temperatures around 40 degr…

In this edition, Zach interviews Bonnie Henderson, an expert on backpacking and thru-hiking the Oregon Coast Trail. Henderson, author of the book "Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail: 400 Miles from the Columbia River to California," talks about what makes the trail unique and the best ways to pull off a trip. September can be a great month to explore th…

In this episode, host Zach Urness updates some of the latest news about Oregon's state parks system, including major fee increases to camp and visit, before launching a deep dive into how the park system came together over 100 years. Urness talks with associate parks director Chris Havel and historian Christy Sweet about the park system's long, win…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with outdoor intern Emma Logan about the best mountain bike destinations across Oregon. The two break down the best spots to ride near Mount Hood, on the Oregon Coast and in central, southwest and eastern Oregon. The destinations range from smaller trail systems new to the scene to internationally recognized …

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with outdoor intern Emma Logan about mountain biking in Oakridge. This small town has put itself on the map with a world class trail network. With over 300 miles of trails, Oakridge is one of the six gold-level ride centers in the world and has been dubbed "Mountain Biking Capital of the Northwest." This epis…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness returns to one of the state's great backyard gems — the Willamette Water Trail. Urness highlights his two favorite places to float and camp on the mainstem Willamette, that features surprisingly beautiful scenery, wildlife habitat and camps just a stone's throw from cities such as Euge…

In this episode, host Zach Urness gives an update on the fast-developing wildfire season in Oregon and then posts and interview that dives into how beloved places such as the Opal Creek area reopen post wildfire.First, Urness breaks down some of the fires burning across the state after a major lightning storm ignited a number of new blazes near Oak…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with outdoor intern Emma Logan about summer skiing at Timberline Lodge and Ski Area on Mount Hood. Timberline offers the only place to ski in the middle of the summer in North America. From the top of the Palmer snowfield, skiers stand at over 8,000 feet and are immediately transported back into a winter stat…

Host Zach Urness talks with long-distance hiker, photographer and gear-maker James Parsons about a variety of topics, including the little-known Chinook Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. Parsons, probably best known for his photography through his Extreme Oregon Instagram page, talks about the strange place outdoor photography finds itself in 2024…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about the wildfire forecast for the summer of 2024 and the fires burning right now. Urness lays out what type of wildfire season is expected using interviews with fire weather meteorologists, who explain how drought, fuel moisture and El Nino to La Nina weather patterns could impact wildfires across the state…

In this episode, Zach talks about the Elkhorn Mountains and Anthony Lakes area of Eastern Oregon. Urness breaks down the what makes the Elkhorns such a striking range, the best time to visit, where to stay and what to do when visiting. There's no shortage of hikes, alpine lakes, fishing, backpacking and wildlife to enjoy — along with an Old West gh…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about one of Oregon's most beautiful and historic trails that is often overlooked. The Santiam Wagon Road was once the primary route connecting the Willamette Valley to Central Oregon in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, the roadway has been transformed into a beautiful trail best explored on 18 miles an…

In this episode, host Zach Urness reports on two beloved places — one that is reopening after a major wildfire and another that just closed because of a huge landslide. Shellburg Falls Recreation Area reopened this past weekend, and Urness talks about how the experience of visiting the 100-foot waterfall and surrounding trails has changed — in some…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about the Oregon Outback and Summer Lake area, a land of desert canyons, hot springs, hikes and quite possibly Oregon's best restaurant. The region was recently established as a dark sky sanctuary, but Urness looks at all the daytime adventures, along with the best time to visit and places to stay. He talks a…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks to ultra runner Emily Halnon of Eugene, who back in 2020 set the speed record for the Oregon segment of the Pacific Crest Trail. Halnon ran the Oregon PCT's 460 miles in 7 days, 19 hours and 23 minutes — an average of 57 miles per day. She set the record for both male and female runners. In the podcast — and …

In this edition of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks about a program that allows harvesting plants from national and state forests and replanting them your own backyard.With the program, you can transplant ferns, saplings and even wildflowers into your own yard for free. It's called the "forest products free use permit" and we'll t…

In this episode, Zach talks about Oregon's wildflower hotspots and the best times to visit with expert Greg Lief. Lief, who runs the website OregonWildflowers.org and the Facebook group Oregon Wildflowers, talks about some of Oregon's most interesting blooms and the best times to visit places such as the Columbia Gorge, Old Cascades, Coast Range an…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks about the rebound of one of Oregon's most iconic fish from near extinction. Urness was interviewed by Think Out Loud host Dave Miller on Oregon Public Broadcasting about why this year's run of winter steelhead in the Upper Willamette Basin was so special. After their population n…

In this episode, host Zach Urness revisits the Oregon Desert Trail, a challenging but beautiful route designed to open the eyes of hikers to the wonders of the high desert.Urness talks about why spring is a time to consider hiking or planning a short or long-distance trek along the 750-mile route that travels from just outside of Bend all the way t…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks about the recently established Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary — the largest such sanctuary in the world. The 2.5 million acre sanctuary, located east of Lakeview near towns such as Plush and Adel in southeast Oregon, becomes the largest dark sky sanctuary in the …

In this episode, host Zach Urness takes listeners to the snowy wonderland of Willamette Pass, a great place to visit during the spring snow season. Even as the days get warmer and longer, there is still lots of snow on Oregon's mountain passes, which makes for a fun recreation season for skiing, snowshoeing and other activities. Urness highlights a…

In this episode, Zach talks about the beloved and troubled slot canyon known as Oneonta Gorge.Named by a famous photographer of the 19th Century, this was once gem in the Columbia Gorge that featured an off-trail trip below high walls to a dramatic waterfall.But Oneonta became one of the first places “blown up” by early social media, particularly I…

In this episode, Zach reposts an episode about visiting Oregon waterfalls covered in snow and ice.With heavy snow forecasted in the lower elevations of the Cascade Mountains this coming week, Zach decided to post a podcast he originally recorded four years ago that details the best places to ski or snowshoe to Oregon’s best waterfalls covered in sn…

In this episode, Zach Urness talks about a ski or snowshoeing trip to ice-covered Paulina Creek Falls in Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Central Oregon. Urness details what makes the trip unique, including a snowy waterfall, alpine lake, high peak, hot springs and even a backcountry restaurant. He talks about when and how to do the trip, how…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with author Glenn Voelz about the rise of Oregon's search and rescue, from the pioneer age to the modern era.Voelz is author of the book "Oregon Search & Rescue: Answering the Call," which covers the state's best-known searchers, high-profile disasters and how both shaped modern …

In this episode, Zach chats with Hoodoo Ski Area general manager Matthew McFarland. McFarland talks about a challenging 2023-24 season, the decision to allow more kids to ski for free and how to groom ski runs so they can be open with less snow than in the past. He also talks about the economics of running a smaller ski area that serves as a "feede…

In this episode, Zach talks about some of the latest Oregon outdoors news including: -The latest $85 million verdict in the class action wildfire trial against PacifiCorp-How hot Oregon was in 2023 and the anniversary of the last Cascadia Subduction zone earthquake-A lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service for failing to suppress the Beachie Creek …

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Burling about the most recent freezing rain event in the Willamette Valley. They discuss why the Willamette Valley and northwest Oregon is uniquely suited for impactful freezing rain events and ice build up, and what happens in the sky to create freezing rain. Z…

In this episode, Zach Urness breaks down the incoming blizzard and beginning of winter recreation season, along with a feature on the glory and trouble of Umpqua Hot Springs. In the first half, Zach talks about the incoming snow, what impact it will have on winter recreation in Oregon and some suggestions for snowy places to travel. In the second h…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness is joined by Hike Oregon's Franziska Weinheimer to pick their favorite destinations from the past year 2023. Urness and Weinheimer feature rafting trips, backpacking routes and snowy adventures with epic views in a podcast meant to help others plan their trips for the coming year.…

In this edition, host Zach Urness breaks down the 10 biggest news stories in Oregon's outdoors and environment from 2023. Urness details some good news, such as the continued population growth of the western snowy plover from the brink of extinction, and some bad news, such as the closing of Salem Summit Company, with lots of news and analysis in b…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with guidebook author Matt Wastradowski about their favorite places for a combination outdoor adventure and meal or drink. They travel to every corner of the state, talking about some of the state's best brewpubs, cowboy diners and seafood stops that also happen to be near big mo…

In this edition, Zach talks about the massive winter storm arriving in Oregon's mountains — and ski areas that have announced openings — along with the drinking water crisis in Sweet Home and Lebanon, new permits for Mount Hood and a variety of other news stories. Urness touches on how to explore the landslide-closed road on Cascade Head and visit …

In this episode, outdoors intern Olivia Stevens transports listeners to what was once a booming logging town in northeastern Oregon. It was also a town where Black people lived and worked at a time when it was illegal for them to do so because of Oregon's racist laws. Now, 100 years after the founding of Maxville, a descendant's efforts to bring to…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with outdoors intern Olivia Stevens about her experience exploring the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in northeast Oregon. While the Zumwalt may not be the main draw for visitors to the Enterprise and Joseph area, its managers make a compelling case for taking the a remote drive there. Visitors to the prairie can h…

In this episode, host Zach Urness forecasts the upcoming winter with state climatologist Larry O'Neill. The two discuss whether this winter will be rainy, snowy, dry or warm, and looked at how the El Nino weather pattern would likely impact the next few months. Specifically, the two talked about how the strength of this year's El Nino could determi…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with the godfather of sandboarding in Oregon and across the world — Lon Beale. They talk about how to get started sandboarding on the Oregon Coast and its dunes, why it's so much fun and how the sport started. Beale talks about some of the best places to ride, how the sport has a…

In this episode, outdoors intern Olivia Stevens takes listeners through a Eugene author's unusual strategy to finishing the Pacific Crest Trail. Rather than the traditional experience of completing the trail from the borders of Mexico to Canada in one go, Bob Welch hiked the 2,650 miles in 17 chunks over 11 years. Welch recently published a book ab…

In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about why fire investigation reports from the devastating 2020 Labor Day Fires still have not been finished or released by Oregon officials. Zach was interviewed about his in-depth reporting on the subject by Dave Miller, host of Think Out Loud on Oregon Public Broadcasting. They talk about where the investig…

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness breaks down Oregon's 2023 wildfire season and puts it in prospective compared to recent years. Zach details the acres burned, homes lost and air quality impact around Oregon, along with the biggest fires of the year and big takeaways from the season. Then he talks with Alex Robertson, …