Oregon Field Guide

Many people in Oregon grew up camping. But what if you didn’t? You are not alone! We're going back to basics to guide you through everything from selecting tents to starting a fire. Get comfortable around the campfire with our camping 101 field manual.

Where is the quietest place in Oregon? A journey with natural sound recordist, Nick MaMahan, to extreme southeast Oregon becomes a quest to understand the sonic landscape of the natural world, and the need for quiet on an increasingly noisy planet.

Mike Houck tracks the lifecycle of the great blue heron on Portland's Willamette River while reflecting on his long career bringing green space to the built environment.

Every summer, the Leeson family from Eugene, OR becomes a lifeline for Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers. As dedicated Trail Angels, they set up a welcoming spot with hot dogs, drinks, and calorie-packed snacks, providing much-needed nourishment for those tackling the daunting 2,700-mile journey. Their acts of kindness are part of a larger community that enriches the PCT experience.

Each year, the Rose City Garden Railway Society hosts the annual Summer Tour across the greater Portland Metro area and beyond. They open their backyard railroads to share their passion for miniature backyard trains.

Each year, the Rose City Garden Railway Society hosts the annual Summer Tour across the greater Portland Metro area and beyond. They open their backyard railroads to share their passion for miniature backyard trains.

The Gambler 500 is an off-road, rally-style event where drivers navigate through the countryside in cheap, custom cars, collecting large amounts of trash along the way, from discarded tires to abandoned boats. Since its humble beginnings in 2019, it's grown significantly and now brings in over 100 cars. The crappier the better!

NASA scientists think any life on the red planet might be akin to rock-eating microbes living in deep, sub-surface caverns. To sniff out the mysterious life forms, the BRAILLE (Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments) team heads to Lava Beds National Monument in northern California to test autonomous robotic “dogs.”

For thousands of years, the Klamath Tribes have harvested a vital first food from the wetlands of Southern Oregon’s Klamath River Basin. It’s a highly nutritious seed that comes from a wetland plant called wocus. As wetlands were drained for agriculture, the tribes lost a huge portion of the habitat supporting this plant. But there’s hope that farmers can help bring that habitat back.

When two black holes collide in deep space, they momentarily release more power than all the stars in the universe combined. That energy warps space and time, traveling through the universe as a gravitational wave. By the time they reach Earth, the waves are impossibly faint. But scientists in eastern Washington have built a cutting edge instrument that is revealing the universe as never before.

It’s been over a decade since two dams came out of the Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Salmon are returning, cougars, elk, foxes and bears roam 800 acres of newly restored land, and the river runs wild, tearing up the road that ran along its banks. For the first time in over a hundred years, the Lower Elwha Klallam tribal members can catch salmon on a free-flowing Elwha.

The resident reg-legged frogs that live in Portland’s Forest Park have a dangerous migration route to and from their spawning grounds at Harborton Wetland. Twice a year, they must get across the high-speed road known as Highway 30. For many years, the frogs’ human neighbors have intervened on their behalf by providing a shuttle or "taxi" to the other side. But is there a better solution?

Every year in St. Helens, Oregon, 18 sculptors from across the country construct incredible works of art out of sand. From seasoned pros to total novices, these artists pour their hearts into creations that will ultimately wash away with the tide, showcasing true dedication to this impressive but ephemeral art form.

Placeholder

Alan Chase is an engineer in Beaverton by day, but his driving passion is heading to the remote Alvord desert each summer to try to shoot an arrow farther than anyone has ever shot one before.

Ever considered taking your cat snowshoeing on Mt. Hood, exploring an old growth forest, or even paddleboarding? Three cat parents decided to buck the trend of keeping their pets at home and now bring their feline friends along on almost every adventure. And it turns out, these cats can't get enough!

A mysterious landscape known as Crowberry Bog on the Olympic Peninsula is like no other place in Washington. It’s a bog that sits like an inflated bladder, rising higher than the surrounding forest. And to walk through it is like walking on a waterbed that is chock full of rare and surprising life.

Roughly 250,000 people float the Deschutes River through Bend in Central Oregon each summer. Many lose belongings along the way. But thanks to some dedicated local divers, some treasured items are making it home. And even trash can score a second chance in the hands of a master river looter.

Life on Axial Seamount Photo Essay

Axial volcano is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet and it exists just off the coast of Oregon. Volcanologist Bill Chadwick is on a quest to discover what it can teach us about predicting volcanic eruptions.