Why pay top dollar for a perfect Christmas tree when you can pay a nominal fee, tromp off into the woods and cut down your own? While you might not walk away with the prettiest fir in the world, harvesting your Christmas tree from the national forest is a Pacific Northwest pastime – and a great excuse to get outside this time of year. On this week’s episode, we get some advice from Heather Ibsen, public affairs officer with the Mount Hood National Forest, who has a lot of experience cutting Christmas trees from the forest.

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Back before the COVID-19 pandemic set in here in Oregon, Peak Northwest co-host Jim Ryan schemed up a mission: try to see as many Columbia River Gorge waterfalls as possible — from sunrise to sundown. He recruited co-host Jamie Hale and video producer Brooke Herbert, and they headed out to the gorge. By sundown, they’d seen 16 waterfalls — and captured each of them on camera.

This week on the Peak Northwest podcast, Jim and Jamie relive the trip, which spanned from Vista House to Starvation Creek Falls. Check out the new Peak Northwest video episode about the excursion.

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As the Northwest weather turns dreary, we're looking for ways to stay active through the winter — especially this year, when we're staying close to home. We'll also take a look back at lessons learned from Oregon's first coronavirus shutdown.

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As the smoke clears on yet another devastating wildfire season in Oregon, questions naturally begin to arise: How bad is it? When can we go back? How long will it take for the forests to grow back?

Answers don’t always come quickly or easily, but to the question of “how long,” we can at least turn to some of the forests in Oregon that have been devastated by other major fires – most notably the Tillamook Burn.

The Tillamook Burn was actually a series of wildfires that burned the same part of the northern Coast Range every six years between 1933 and 1951. And while it’s not a perfect comparison to some of the recent wildfires, the re-growing forest there can offer hope to those feeling despondent over the fire damage this year.

On this week’s episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, we discuss the many hiking trails that wind through the Tillamook State Forest, exploring a forest in the process of recovery nearly 70 years after the Tillamook Burn.

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On this week’s episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, we speak with Dave Tragethon from Mt. Hood Meadows about what precautions the ski resort has made amid the coronavirus pandemic, and what skiing will look like this season.

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This week on the Peak Northwest podcast, we make the case for spending that time hiking in Camas — the small suburban town in southwest Washington. And to help us out, we brought on Camas resident Sally Hale, who just happens to be Jamie's mother.

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On this week’s episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, we’re highlighting some of the spookiest travel destinations in Oregon, whether you’re planning a Halloween vacation or are in search of a spooky day hike for the season.

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Oregon’s rivers and lakes hold endless appeal, beckoning enthusiasts of all kinds to their chilly waters. There are the swimmers and boaters, the kayakers and the stand-up paddleboarders. And then, of course, there are the anglers: those casting out in search of their latest catch. Peak Northwest podcast hosts Jim Ryan and Jamie Hale are fishing novices. But on this week’s show, colleague and avid angler Rosemarie Stein gives them the rundown on Oregon fly fishing.

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Seven days, 19 hours, 23 minutes. That’s how long it took Eugene resident Emily Halnon to run the length of Oregon, from south to north, on the famed Pacific Crest Trail this summer. Halnon set a new record time on the Oregon section of the PCT, which totals over 450 miles, and raised more than $33,000 for rare cancer research in the process. This week on the Peak Northwest podcast, Halnon discusses her record-setting run, the planning it required and the reason she set off in the first place.

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Head to the mouth of the Columbia River, where the mightiest river in the American West meets the biggest ocean on the planet, and you’ll find one of the greatest little cities in Oregon. Astoria has always had a lot to offer visitors, and that remains true amid the coronavirus pandemic – though it understandably changed the tourism experience. On this week’s Peak Northwest podcast, we talk about what visiting Astoria is like these days, and the best things to do while you’re there.

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