In May 2022, British travel writer Aaron Millar took a whirlwind tour of Oregon, experiencing everything from up-close whale watching to sand-boarding down the Oregon dunes and taking a snowshoe hike around Crater Lake. He did all of this with the help of Oregon’s expert guides, who eliminate the hassle of logistics planning and can often uncover off-the-beaten-path experiences for a truly authentic experience. “We want to go beyond the ordinary, travel deeper into the destination and discover the natural beauty, adventure and culture of the state through a local’s eyes,” he says. You can catch Millar’s thrilling adventures in “Hidden Trails of Oregon” — his three-episode series separate from his Armchair Explorer podcast.
In summer 2025 you can also tune into four more podcast episodes (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Stitcher) from his latest trip to Oregon, when he visited the northeastern part of the state. Here’s how to listen and inspire your next trip.
New Episodes 1-4: Eastern Oregon
- Episode 1, Homecoming: Millar visits the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland Visitor Center in Enterprise, and learns the story of the tribe and Chief Joseph.
- Episode 2, Let ‘er Buck: Millar records an audio diary from the Pendleton Library.
- Episode 3, We Will Never Fade: Millar visits the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians-owned Tamástslikt Cultural Institute and speaks with Indigenous leader Bobbie Connor.
- Episode 4, Rodeo Champions: Millar has conversations with Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame legends Butch Knowles and Pat Nogle.
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Episode 1: Food Carts, Wine Tasting and a Harmonic Laboratory
Millar kicks off his tour along what he nicknamed the Northern Culture Trail. In Portland he meets up with Michelle Bergey, owner of Lost Plate Food Tours, who introduces him to the history and culture of the globally dishes at Cartopia and Hawthorne Asylum, both food-cart pods in Southeast Portland.
He then meets up with a Portland local named Dresden, owner of Throw Snakes Tours, for a one-of-a-kind tour of Portland’s bar culture and local oddities. Dresden tells Millar about the Unipiper, Portland’s bagpipe-playing mascot, as well as other other Portlandia-type celebrations like the Mermaid Festival, a summertime gathering at Poet’s Beach for the LGBTQ+ community.
Millar soon heads southwest to the Willamette Valley for a personalized wine-tasting tour with Chevonne Ball, owner of Dirty Radish food and wine tours. He meet the resident farm dog, Miss Cooper, at Arlyn vineyard in Newberg, and sips Biodynamic, estate-grown wines at Brick House Vineyards, 3 miles west.
Heading south to Eugene, Millar chats with the staff and artisans at the Eugene Saturday Market, the oldest open-air craft market in the United States, founded in 1974. He takes in the handmade jewelry and art, tie-dye T-shirts, porcelain octopuses and other artists’ creations. Continuing his quest for all things eclectic, Millar meets up with the founders of Eugene’s Harmonic Laboratory — a collective that produces installations combining visual art, music and social media. “Oregon is an inspiration to all of us to be ourselves, be creative and celebrate diversity,” he says. “Being weird isn’t bad, it’s the seed from which the best things in life grow.”
Episode 2: Sand Dunes, Whale Sightings and Forest Walks
From Eugene, Millar heads west to the Coast, following a route he dubs the Coastal Adventure Trail. In Florence he meets up with 3-time world sandboarding champion Gabe Cruz at Sand Master Park. The park, which calls itself the first of its kind in the world, offers lessons and rents sandboards and sleds for — you guessed it, riding downhill — among the acres of pristine, sculpted sand dunes in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
From there he heads south to Port Orford for his kayak trip of a lifetime with South Coast Tours. Post-paddle, he connects with local hiking guide Cathy Boden, who takes visitors on personalized hiking tours while highlighting native plants, animals, geology, history and Native culture of the area. Millar was especially impressed with the ecological diversity of Siuslaw National Forest trails out of Port Orford Heads State Park. “Just the ocean itself — the wild desolate beaches with the low mist and clouds and rocks jutting out of the sea — it’s a completely different coastal experience than you can have in many other places in the world.”
Episode 3: Crater Lake, Caving and Fly Fishing with a Guide
For the third podcast episode, Millar spends time at Crater Lake National Park and in Central Oregon along what he calls the Central Nature Trail.
If you’ve only been to Crater Lake in the summer, consider going for a different experience sometime in fall, winter or spring when the crowds dissipate and the landscape is covered in a blanket of snow. (Also note that Rim Drive and the North Entrance are closed for the winter season — check the park website for updated details and conditions.) “We had it all to ourselves,” Millar says of the snowshoe hike he took to a lookout point. “To look down and have it completely to yourself was unbelievably magical.”
Main Street Tours offers naturalist-guided snowshoe hikes at Crater Lake National Park every day.
Next stop on Millar’s adventure is a trip to Bend, where he spends the afternoon taking in the urban sights and then connecting with naturalist guide from Bend-based Wanderlust Tours for a unique high-desert experience. “We went caving inside a lava tube,” Millar says. “There were points at which you have to tilt your head sideways to slide through.” Wanderlust provides custom experiences including day- and night-time snowshoeing, moon-viewing and stargazing paddle tours, hiking and brewpub tours.
On the Deschutes River, Millar spends the day fly fishing with Alysia Littleleaf of Littleleaf Guide Service, based in Warm Springs. “To go out with a Native American guide and hear her talk about her land and history was really powerful,” Millar says. “I managed to catch the world’s smallest fish and got way too excited about it. A lot of that time you’re just sort of quiet on your own in the river.”
It wouldn’t be a trip to Oregon without a stop at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring. Bigfoot expert Cliff Barackman loves to share his tales of sightings, Bigfoot’s history and the Bigfoot Festival.
If You Go:
- Before you head out on any Oregon road trip, be sure to weather and road conditions, especially during the winter.
- Find more trip-planning resources and inspiration at Oregon Welcome Centers, or by ordering a free travel guide.
- Looking for top spots to eat and drink during your travels? Check out the Oregon Food Trails. These self-guided trails cover all regions of the state and include visitor-friendly farms and markets, restaurants, brewpubs, wineries and other tasty places to stop along your journey.
- When you’re adventuring outdoors, take care to carry the Ten Essentials and smile and strike up a conversation with those you meet. It’s the Oregonian way.
