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

Latest Episodes:

Repost: A guide to Oregon's best wildflower hikes (and a few in Washington) Apr 16, 2025

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Repost! In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks about Oregon's wildflower hotspots and the best times to see them with expert Greg Lief. Lief, who runs the website OregonWildflowers.org 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 and Eastern Oregon to find the best of nature's fireworks display. This episode was originally posted on April 18, 2024, but all the information should be about the same as last year in terms of wildflower blooms times.

Trailkeepers of Oregon work to save trails amid federal cuts to funding, public lands Apr 09, 2025

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Host Zach Urness talks with Trailkeepers of Oregon executive director Steve Kruger about the group's mission and how federal cuts and a funding freeze could make it difficult to maintain hiking trails on public lands this summer and in future years. Kruger talks about the work TKO does in using volunteers to clear, fix and maintain trails, in addition to building bridges. He then talks about how a federal cuts and a funding freeze — in which agreed to grants and payments aren't being distributed — appears likely to hamper maintaining trails in the foreseeable future.

Salem ice climber ascends frozen waterfalls, glaciers. Here's how you can too. Mar 27, 2025

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In this episode, host Zach Urness interviews Salem ice climber Forrest "Frosty" Gill about the fun and challenge of ascending frozen waterfalls and ice flows across Oregon and the West. Gill talks about the equipment and technique used for ice climbing, the beautiful places it can take you and his journey in learning the sport through the Salem-based Chemeketans outdoors club and climb school. This past February, Gill climbed frozen Paulina Creek Falls in Central Oregon but has also climbed in Alaska, Montana and Colorado.

What do the federal cuts mean for Oregon's public lands? Plus, Detroit Lake mini cabins Mar 10, 2025

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What do the federal cuts mean for Oregon's public lands? Plus, Detroit Lake mini cabins by Zach Urness / Statesman Journal

Oregon's Boat: How the McKenzie River Drift Boat became world famous Feb 19, 2025

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In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with Randy Dersham, director of the new documentary film "Oregon's Boat." Dersham describes the evolution of one of the world's most famous boats — the McKenzie River Drift Boat — that took place in Eugene and on the McKenzie River. The boat evolved under a series of colorful fishing guides, woodworkers and adventurers to become the ideal boat for navigating whitewater rivers across the West. The film recently recently won the award for Best Feature at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival.

Underground aquifer in Oregon's Central Cascade Mountains holds trillions of gallons of water. What it means for the state Jan 29, 2025

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In this episode, host Zach Urness talks with two Oregon researchers that just published a study about a massive underground aquifer below the Central Cascade Mountains east of Salem and Eugene. Leif Karlstrom, a University of Oregon earth scientist, and Gordon Grant, a hydrologist with the U.S. Forest Service, discuss an aquifer they estimate as containing 81 cubic kilometers of freshwater — or roughly as much water contained in three Lake Meads, the largest reservoir in the United States. Karlstrom and Grant talk about how the aquifer is formed, where it's located (roughly between Mount Jefferson and south of McKenzie Pass) and why it's important in a warming future. They also talk about how it fuels many of Oregon's most famous rivers and spurs dramatic volcanic eruptions at places such as Sand Mountain.

Snowshoeing beautiful Maxwell Sno Park, Detroit Lake emptied, McKenzie Pass confusion Jan 23, 2025

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In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks about three different things: -Snowshoeing, skiing or micro-spike hiking at Maxwell Sno-Park, plus spending the night in its two cozy snow shelters. -The plan to drop Detroit Lake to its lowest level in history, in a controversial plan aimed at saving endangered spring chinook salmon but that could also impact fishing, access and water quality at the reservoir east of Salem. -The controversy surrounding offseason recreation on McKenzie Pass Highway 242. Are you allowed to ski, snowmobile and bike on the scenic highway between Sisters and McKenzie Bridge when the snow gates are closed during the winter and spring? The answer used to be yes, but now, it's a lot more complicated.

Part II: Best outdoor adventures of 2024 Jan 02, 2025

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In this edition, host Zach Urness highlights the best adventures the Statesman Journal outdoors staff wrote about in 2024. In part II, Urness talks about a roadtrip to the Oregon Outback — plus its "dark sky sanctuary" — along with why Oakridge is considered among the United States' best places to mountain bike. He also talks about diving into an underwater forest of Clear Lake, float tube fishing Oregon's alpine lakes, backpacking Broken Top Loop and new sections of whitewater that have appeared on the Klamath River after dam removal.

Part I: Best outdoor adventures of 2024 Dec 26, 2024

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In this episode, host Zach Urness highlights the best adventures the Statesman Journal outdoors staff wrote about in 2024. In this part I episode, Urness talks about the troubled but beloved Umpqua Hot Springs during its "quiet season" and exploring snow shelters in the winter backcountry near Gold Lake Sno Park. Other adventures highlighted include summer skiing on Mount Hood — even during an extreme heatwave — along with mountain biking a historic road and how to visit one of Oregon's most beautiful but semi-secret waterfalls. Part II of this countdown should be posted around the New Year.

Newsletter pod: Willamette salmon fight, Silver Falls hiking, record coho, 'yurtmas' Dec 05, 2024

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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 KLCC in Eugene and considers why a plan to save endangered salmon has become so controversial, while other topics include new waterfall hiking loops at Silver Falls State Park, record setting coho salmon runs and one of the state's most epic Christmas lights displays.

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