Explore Oregon: Making the most of the outdoors Statesman Journal

In this episode, Zach brings back a collection of his favorite stories from the first almost 70 episodes of the podcast. It's the first of two podcasts that include fun stories about Oregon's most famous places, and this edition features naked mountain men, a princess turned to stone and a coastal town feuding with a fifth grade class from Montana.

There's no place quite like Steens Mountain, a 50-mile fault block mountain that rises almost to almost 10,000 feet above the Alvord Desert in southeastern Oregon. It's a place where you can backpack into deep gorges, explore a stunning alpine lake in a basin a vertical mile above the desert and camp at numerous sites along Oregon's highest roadway. In this episode, Zach talks with Anne White with the Oregon Natural Desert Association about all the wonders and styles of outdoor recreation at Steens.

In this episode, Zach takes a trip to the high desert mountain and wildlife mecca of Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Joined by expert Michael O'Casey, of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, they talk about the area's hot springs, majestic animals and best hikes in this little-traveled corner of the state.

In this episode, Zach is joined by Oregon outdoors author Franziska Weinheimer, the owner of the website HikeOregon.net, to talk about 16 summer road trips that include hiking, camping, floating, fishing and exploring all corners of the state.

Oregon's state parks showcase many of the state's most beautiful places as well as the largest and most iconic campgrounds. But how did this system of over 350 parks, recreation areas and the Oregon Coast come together? It's a story of ambition and conservation, of colorful characters, near-calamity and rebirth. Zach talks to an associate director and historian for the deep dive on the last 100 years of Oregon parks.

In this episode, Zach interviews Willamette National Forest supervisor Dave Warnack about the agency's new plan to reopen 170,000 acres of forest that burned in the Labor Day Fires in 2020. The plan includes providing access this summer to iconic places such as Opal Creek, the northern Mount Jefferson Wilderness, and other places that are currently closed due to safety concerns.