Explore Oregon Podcast: The state's most beautiful places and biggest issues
Everything to know about exploring Oregon's best outdoor destinations from the Statesman Journal including where to camp, hike, bike and more.
Episodes
August 8, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Mariah Johnston talk about how to swim, boat and fish in the water of Crater Lake National Park’s for the last time until 2029.
Located in southern Oregon, Crater Lake is home to the deepest lake in the United States at 1,949 feet. Beginning next year, the only trail leading to the water will close for a three year construction project. That makes ...
Mark as Played
August 2, 2025 • 18 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about hiking, camping and fishing for rare brown trout at Linton Lake in the Three Sisters Wilderness.
Located a mile off McKenzie Pass Highway 242, Linton Lake features old-growth forest, a place to swim, one of Oregon's tallest waterfalls and some of the most fun hike-in fishing in the state.
Urness talks about the how to make the trip and how to have a good day on the water.
Mark as Played
July 23, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness interviews Oregon Parks and Recreation Department director Lisa Sumption about the challenging future for Oregon's state parks system.
The parks system includes more than 250 recreation sites and 50 campgrounds and was visited by a record 56.6 million people in 2024. However, OPRD is expecting to face a 14% shortfall by 2027. That could mean layoffs to rangers and even closing some parks.
In the ...
Mark as Played
July 18, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Mariah Johnston talk about the newest railbiking site in Oregon — this one within striking distance of the Willamette Valley.
Santiam Excursion Trains is based in Lebanon and recently added a new railbike adventure in Sweet Home. It travels 6 miles on the old Sweet Home Branch line, where abandoned buildings and wildlife are plentiful.
Mariah talk...
Mark as Played
July 14, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness reposts a favorite podcast about snorkeling crystal clear rivers, creeks and backcountry lakes.
This episode, first recorded in 2019, covers the equipment needed and locations where you can explore underwater canyons and come nose-to-nose with a confused fish.
Mark as Played
In this episode, host Zach Urness and intern Mariah Johnston discuss the biggest news in Oregon's outdoors from the past few weeks.
Zach starts off by discussing the latest wildfire forecast, the fight against the sale of federal public lands and some of the biggest takeaways from the Oregon legislative session — including new fees for fishing and boating.
In the second half, Zach and Mariah discuss a more diverse collection of ...
Mark as Played
June 30, 2025 • 22 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness and outdoors intern Mariah Johnson detail how to hike, float and explore a lake with one of the most beautiful views of Mount Hood — but that in past was known as "Mud Lake."
Johnson visited Trillium Lake, near Government Camp, one of the more popular summer recreation sites, home to a place to rent kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, in addition to a nice hiking trail and campground.
Johnson als...
Mark as Played
June 23, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach Urness talks to fish biologist Stephan Charette about one of the best places to catch fish in Oregon: smallmouth bass on the John Day River.
In this episode, first published in 2022, Urness and Charette talks about why the fishing is so good, where and how to land them and the upside and downside of so many fish.
Mark as Played
June 21, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness reposts and updates details on one of Oregon's greatest overnight float and fishing trips — the John Day River.
In this episode first published in 2020, but updated this year, Urness and former co-host David Davis break down the river's most famous segment, how to get a permit and what makes this trip so special.
They also dive into the history of the man the river is named for — John Day — and ...
Mark as Played
In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about the experience of floating through an active wildfire on the John Day River, in addition to a story about an evacuation of a state park and how it was saved from the flames of the Ferry Fire.
Earlier this month, Zach floated through the 10,000-acre Ferry Fire that was burning on the John Day. In the second half, Urness tells the story of Cottonwood Canyon State Park, also on the John D...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 • 58 mins
In this edition, host Zach Urness focuses on how to fish the state's hike-in alpine lakes with expert angler and fish biologist Jeff Ziller with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Ziller has worked on stocking and surveying Oregon's mountain lakes since the 1980s. In the first half of the podcast, he talks about where to find fish in Oregon's mountain lakes, what type of fish can be had and how they got there in the first...
Mark as Played
May 23, 2025 • 55 mins
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, Zach and guidebook author Franziska of Hike Oregon pick 10 of their favorite backpacking trips for June, July, August and September as the high outdoor recreation season gets underway.
In this podcast, first recorded in 2023, the trips recommended include shorter and longer backpacking routes, from 15 to 55 miles in length, in the Wallowa, Elkhorn, Cascade and Klamath-Siskiyou mountai...
Mark as Played
May 14, 2025 • 32 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about upgrades coming to Silver Falls State Park along with places in Oregon that almost became national parks — but never quite made the cut.
In the first half, Urness talks about the new outdoors shop, campground and visitor center planned for Oregon's largest state park as part of expanding development at the park.
In the second half, Urness talks about why Silver Falls didn't become a ...
Mark as Played
In this episode, host Zach Urness reports on a project in Eugene that will add a mountain biking park and expand the size of the city's Ridgeline Trail system for hiking.
The city plans to add 12 miles of new trail at Suzanne Arlie Park and South Eugene Meadows, opening up the city's first trails built specifically for mountain biking while also creating new hikes and expanding hiking routes.
It's been a long road for the city t...
Mark as Played
May 1, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about the reopening of the Whitewater Creek road and trail into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness east of Detroit.
The trail has long been one of the most popular in the Mount Jefferson area but it's been transformed by two major wildfires that have kept it closed since 2020.
The road and trail is finally open now, and there are some amazing views and adventures to be had right now — in the e...
Mark as Played
In this episode, host Zach Urness talks about the reopening of the Whitewater Creek road and trail into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness east of Detroit.
The trail has long been one of the most popular and iconic in the Mount Jefferson area but it's been transformed by two major wildfires that have kept it closed six of the last nine years and all the way since 2020.
The road and trail is finally open now, and there are some amazi...
Mark as Played
April 25, 2025 • 74 mins
In this edition, host Zach Urness takes a deep dive into perhaps the wildest place in Oregon — the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.
This episode, originally published in 2022, focuses on the 180,000-acre wilderness in southwest Oregon. It's home to deep river canyons, wildflowers found nowhere else on earth and rivers so clear they seem made of liquid glass.
Zach is joined by Gabe Howe, executive director of the Siskiyou Mountain Club, to ...
Mark as Played
April 19, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode host Zach Urness covers a range of outdoors news topics, including:
-Why this is the last summer to swim, fish or take a boat tour at Crater Lake National Park until 2029.
-Why this was a very good, but also tragic, ski season in Oregon
-Why Oregon set a record for visits to its state parks system
-Also: Detroit Lake drawdown, Oregon is drought free, state of the wilderness permit season and the status of endanger...
Mark as Played
April 16, 2025 • 47 mins
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 epi...
Mark as Played
April 9, 2025 • 38 mins
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...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.