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

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 Eugene, Corvallis and Salem. Then, Urness plays an interview from 2021 with former Willamette Riverkeeper executive director Travis Williams — now with Willamette River Preservation Trust — about the best floats, history and things to know about being on the Willamette.

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 Oakridge, Diamond Lake, the McKenzie Corridor and all other corners of the state. Then, Urness posts an interview that he did with Portland City Cast on how the Opal Creek area is doing now, four years after the 2020 Labor Day Fires. He details what the area looks like and plans for how it will eventually reopen. He also talks about the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire and its lasting impact, and the legacy of the 2003 B&B Complex.

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 state of mind. This episode includes an interview with John Burton, the Director of Marketing and Public Affairs of Timberline. Logan and Burton discuss the history of summer skiing on Mount Hood, the elite level training and what anyone should know before heading out and giving it a try.

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, his favorite long-distance hikes and his new business, Magnet Designs, making and selling outdoor clothing. Then, he spotlights a little-known long-distance route through the Columbia Gorge known as the Chinook Trail, and which parts make for excellent backpacking and which parts offer a fairly brutal experience.

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 this summer. Urness breaks down the hot spots for fire danger, and where active wildfires have already had an impact on summer 2024 in 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 ghost town with a haunted suction dredge (that you are allowed to visit).

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 and six segments in the Tombstone Pass area east of Sweet Home. Sweet Home district ranger Nikki Swanson joints the podcast to break down the route's history and the best way to experience it nowadays.

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 cases dramatically. Then, Urness reports on how a debris flow has closed access to Valley of the Giants, home to some of Oregons largest and oldest trees in the Coast Range located west of Salem.

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 about Crack in the Ground, Cowboy Tree Diner and Summer Lake, among many other places to fish, bird-watch, hunt, hike and explore.

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 a recently published book — Halnon talked about doing the run to honor her mother, who died of a rare form of bone cancer. Halnon's recently published a book about her experience called "To the Gorge: Running, Grief, and Resilience & 460 Miles on the Pacific Crest Trail." She's currently on a book tour in Oregon and elsewhere. See her page, emilyhalnon.com, for a full list of book tour stops.