Explore Oregon Podcast: The state's most beautiful places and biggest issues

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 between.

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 mountains, wild rivers and excellent hikes.

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 beautiful Harts Cove Trail, along with looking at...

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 light the triumphs and challenges of Black logger...

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 hike four beautiful trails for views of native gras...

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 determine whether Oregon has a wet or dry winter.

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 advanced and how he designed the world's first mode...

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 about his experience, “Seven Summers (and a few Bumm...

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 investigations stand after three years, why it's taking so...

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, a longtime firefighter and regional fire director...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Olivia Stevens talk about some of the best things to do in the Wallowa Mountains. Olivia highlights overlooked campsites, cultural sites and museums and some new hikes in northeast Oregon's Joseph-Enterprise-Wallowa Lake area. Then, Zach posts a full episode that breaks down everything to know about the area with a...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Olivia Stevens walks listeners through a unique experience on Wallowa Lake in the remote northeastern town of Joseph. A small, family-run company out there recently became a viral sensation after a social media influencer posted a video paddling through the glacial lake at night in light-up, clear boats. Olivia too...

In this episode, outdoors intern Olivia Stevens brings listeners to Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area to watch and listen to one of Oregon's most majestic animals — Roosevelt elk. Jewell Meadows, located in the Coast Range east of Seaside, is popular place where visitors can see up to 200 elk in one visit. Stevens highlights the sound an elk makes while "bugling" during mating season, breaks down how t...

In this episode, Zach talks with University of Oregon astronomy professor Scott Fisher about the upcoming "ring of fire" solar eclipse. The annular eclipse, while not quite as dramatic as the 2017 total solar eclipse, will showcase the moon blocking the sun in Oregon beginning at 9:13 a.m. on Oct. 14 and traveling across a wide swath of the state. Fisher, also the director of Pine Mountain Observa...

In this episode, Zach breaks down how to boat camp at Waldo Lake in a year when many campgrounds and roads are still closed due to last year's Cedar Creek Fire. While two of the campgrounds at Waldo are closed, you are allowed to load up a canoe or kayak with camping equipment and head to "dispersed" campsites that dot the lake's shoreline. Zach explains what's legal and open this year, before add...

In this episode, Zach talks to Sisters district ranger Ian Reid about the spectacular recreation and plans for new trails in this Central Oregon town. They start by focusing on the Three Creek Lake — one of Oregon's best base camps for adventure. They talk about how to best plan a trip, where to camp, fish and hike, along with detailing some potential changes that could be coming to the area. In t...

In this edition, host Zach Urness and intern Abigail Landwehr talk about a visit to Bohemia Mountain and a festival honoring its rich past. Southeast of Cottage Grove, the name of the mountain is probably best known for the town-wide annual celebration. Every summer, Bohemia Mining Days attracts a number of people from across the state and further. But the surrounding area offers more than just th...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach updates the status of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness this summer and breaks down a glorious three-day backpacking loop about a glorious three-day backpacking loop. Then, he plays an older episode that highlights all the best places to hike and backpack in the Jefferson Wilderness while detailing the seven major wildfires that have marked the area...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach talks about the glory of rafting the Lower Deschutes River with expert boater Jared Linkhart. They talk about how the high desert scenery, big rapids and riverside campsites make it the state's most popular rafting trips and how to make it happen — either with an outfitter or by running your own boat. Jared breaks down the different segments of t...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach looks at a billion-dollar plan that involves using "fish taxis" and "fish Disney Worlds" to save endangered spring chinook in the Upper Willamette Basin. The plan centers on moving salmon around dams with massive trucks, and allowing the fish to spawn in the upper river that in the past was blocked by dams. The hope is that is to rebuild wild sal...

In this episode, Zach and outdoors intern Abby cover a wide variety of outdoor news including: -The reopening of Waldo Lake and the Breitenbush Highway, and what it allows access to, including Hawk Mountain -The sad news of Salem Summit Company planning to close -Same-day camping reservations at Oregon’s state parks -Perhaps the oldest site of human occupation in North America -The verdict of the...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach talks with City Cast Portland about the upcoming wildfire season and why fire danger has suddenly skyrocketed to high levels after a wet and snowy winter. Zach also breaks down some of his favorite places to hike in wildfire scars, tells the tale of how Don Myron escaped the Labor Day Fires by sheltering in the middle of a river and offers some t...

In this edition of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and intern Abigail Landwehr talk about one of the most beautiful but troubled spots on the Oregon Coast — God's Thumb, also known as The Thumb. The basalt peak that juts above the ocean north of Lincoln City has become an extremely popular destination but the hike to its top is unofficial, crossing over private land and bringing a hos...

In this edition, Zach talks with southern Oregon expert Ryan Ghelfi about backpacking in the wild and beautiful Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains of southwest Oregon and extreme northwest California. It’s an ideal year to backpack in the area due to wildfire danger that’s lower than it has been in many years, following California’s historic snowpack that has tamped down fire concerns — at least for the m...

In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach and guidebook author Franziska Weinheimer pick 10 of their favorite backpacking trips for late June, July, August and September as the high outdoor recreation season gets underway. The trips recommend include shorter and longer backpacking routes, from 15 to 55 miles in length, in the Wallowa, Elkhorn, Cascade and Klamath-Siskiyou mountains. They...