Zach Urness
@oregonoutdoors
I cover Oregon's outdoors for the Salem Statesman Journal, Eugene Register-Guard and USA Today. Environment/recreation/public lands. Explore Oregon Podcast. Author: Best Hikes w/kids Oregon
Oregon wildfire roundup: -Evacs on Mount Hood area due to Grasshopper Fire. Mt Hood Meadows on level 3. -A red flag warning in place for Columbia Gorge & southern Oregon -Downed power lines sparked a fire outside Stayton yesterday that burned one outbuilding, brought evacs tinyurl.com/4d5ucn3w
We've got temperatures in the 100s, wildfire smoke blowing in from the east and a red flag warning in the forecast for Western Oregon beginning on Aug. 3 and lasting much of next week. Full breakdown: tinyurl.com/566fb3ey
Oregon set the modern record for acres burned on Aug. 2, officially blackening 1.97 million acres. That beats out the 1.93M acres from 2024 that, like this year, burned largely east of the Cascades. For impact, however, nothing tops 2020: tinyurl.com/22fbba8x
Beloved Flag Point Lookout, home to a spectacular view of Mount Hood and one of the few places you could stay in a lookout during winter, burned down in the Grasshopper Fire last night. Just a major blow: tinyurl.com/y4hmwfn6
Oregon has 1.5 million acres of active wildfire on 32 large fires — 34 homes & structures have been lost. In our latest update, we cover the evac of 100s of Salem teenage campers, updates on why fires are burning so fast and updates on the major fires: tinyurl.com/mtwbywhp
More than 1.3 million acres of active wildfire is burning across Oregon in 34 major blazes that are taking an increasing toll on the state. Multiple highway closures, evacs, air quality concerns, closures. Full story: tinyurl.com/tkxxmj95
Oregon has 1 million acres of active wildfire burning between 34 different fires spewing smoke, closing roads and spurring evacuations across largely the central and east side of the state. Updates on the new fires breaking out: Big Grass, Second Flat and Beachcomb & Bench: tinyurl.com/mwu6j4hx
Oregon senator Jeff Merkley returned to Detroit, which was wrecked by the 2020 Labor Day Fires, to highlight legislation aimed at improving forest health by promoting biomass, ramp up prescribed burning and reduce wildfire insurance costs: tinyurl.com/38yae2n5
Oregon was hit by 8,357 lightning strikes July 22 — more fires but also helpful rain. - The Akawa Butte Fire in Sisters grew and brought more evacs, closures. - 24 new fires in C. Oregon but largely contained - Oregon has now burned more than 500k acres Full update: tinyurl.com/4vszxs7e
Thunderstorms are coming today. A fire lookout burned down. A man died preparing his property for the Brewer Fire The wildfire near Dallas that brought evacs is 90% contained. Lots of updates in today's live wildfire blog: tinyurl.com/5frreptw
More and more, young adults are leaping off some of Oregon’s most iconic waterfalls “for the gram.” Or YouTube. Problem is, an increasing number are getting hurt or worse, which often requires a complex rescue. Such was the case recently at Toketee Falls: tinyurl.com/h9p7f5ry
25 wildfires are burning across Oregon. Here's the latest on the biggest, how many acres/homes have burned and what the forecast says is coming: tinyurl.com/ycxt4bzf
Compared with the rest of the West, Oregon had a relatively mild start to the wildfire season. That started to change in a big way this past week. High winds, lightning strikes and deepening drought led to an outbreak of wildfires: tinyurl.com/4rnv7bbr
Signs of the drought. Detroit Lake Marina said it would have to remove its docks, where visitors store boats, on July 20. Kane’s Marina announced on Facebook that the last day to pull out boats would be July 26: tinyurl.com/3t5ne9ak
This pair of forested lakes in the Mount Washington Wilderness features easy hiking, good camping and good trout fishing: tinyurl.com/mryrxhk6
Peacefully secluded in old-growth forest canopy, rock climbing at French's Dome offers an equally thrilling and relaxing way to adventure near Mount Hood. The well-bolted routes make it approachable for new outdoor rock climbers, reports intern Makenzie Stamets: tinyurl.com/mtde6bvu
People across Salem and the Willamette Valley will insist that a certain waterfall-filled park is called Silver Creek Falls State Park. It's a deeply-held, generational belief. And also 100% wrong. I went deep years ago to find out what's going on: tinyurl.com/5a5hvrrr
School is out! And in this podcast, author Bonnie Henderson and I talk about the best backpacking trips with kids and getting it done. Even better: we were joined by two outdoorsy kiddos. Fun episode: tinyurl.com/53ejwfkn
Silver Falls State Park is moving forward with a $6.5 million visitor’s center on the park’s north end. It'll include a lobby, a café, classrooms and a place to plan your adventure. The plan is for it to open in 2028, but without the new campground originally planned: tinyurl.com/bdhc3smc
The rapids are fun but not scary. The ponderosa forest is sweet-smelling but full of wildlife. The fish are beautiful but a challenge to catch. It's not quite easy, but it's also not hard. It's Oregon's "jussst right" overnight river trip: tinyurl.com/yhfrs42c
Pretty sweet deal: Volunteer for two weekends as trailhead host in Willamette National Forest and you can score a NW Forest Pass AND a Central Cascades Wilderness Volunteer Pass for 2027. It allows free access to permit controlled areas without a Rec.gov battle Story: tinyurl.com/7rjhkp5k
Once planted to beautify state highways, Scotch broom has become an invasive plague in Oregon’s wildfire scars — particularly in the Santiam Canyon. I went down the rabbit hole on where it came from, whether it increases wildfire danger, why it spreads, and a lot more: tinyurl.com/3ut8ew9t
A 10 to 15 acre wildfire ignited June 2 and was burning about 2 miles southwest of Detroit Lake. Crews from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry are en route to fight the Kinney Ridge Fire, including two helicopters. Story on what we've got so far: tinyurl.com/4t67x6ap
Tiz the season of deceit here in Oregon! looks amazingly beautiful outside but an invisible locust is floating on the breeze preparing to take … you ... dowwwwnnnnnn.
Oregon wildlife officials will lift the bag limit for harvesting rainbow trout and bass at three eastern Oregon reservoirs that are likely to go dry this summer, likely killing tens of thousands of fish: tinyurl.com/337uv7rw
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward with a plan to drop Detroit Lake to the lowest level in its history despite concerns about the impact on local drinking water, tourism and a lawsuit aimed at forcing it to stop: tinyurl.com/3kpe68ua
A new trail system will bring hikers to the iconic but troubled Blue Pool beginning in 2027. A $3.4 million project establish a new 100 space parking lot and trail to the shimmering volcanic pool on the McKenzie River east of Eugene: tinyurl.com/4ebdu3dd
Good news! The 80-year-old man from Lebanon missing in the Jefferson Wilderness for multiple days has been found alive near Duffy Lake: tinyurl.com/s4nsxnv9
Brought back one of my favorite ever podcasts — a fantasy football style draft of 20 of Oregon’s greatest river trips with three river experts. Ideas for floats from mild to very wild this summer: tinyurl.com/yck8wrp9
An active search is underway for an 80-year-old man who failed to return from a hike to Fir Lake, which is located off Highway 22 between Detroit and Santiam Junction on the edge of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness: tinyurl.com/36pxkm2n