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

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 "feeder" for the larger resorts in Oregon and across the West.

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 Fire before it exploded into a deadly inferno -Controversial plans for logging on state forests and legislation to conserve southeast Oregon's Owyhee Canyonlands.

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. Zach also talks about some of the major impacts in Eugene, Springfield and Portland from the ice storm of 2024.

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 half, Zach talks about a feature he just wrote on the glorious but troubled Umpqua Hot Springs in southern Oregon. Zach talks about how to get to the hot springs in winter — when the hot springs are quieter — and about the many years of abuse that the hot springs and soakers endured around 2015 and '16.

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 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 Oregon's proposed drone rules and why Butte Creek Falls has been closed for three years.

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 loggers in Oregon are gaining widespread traction at the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center.

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 grassland and nearby canyons. Stevens spoke with The Nature Conservancy, the environmental nonprofit that owns the 51-acre preserve, and visits with Oregon State University students about the importance and difficulty of preserving the prairie into the future.