We thought we knew the Oregon Trail… Turns out, we only knew half the story. “The settling of the West,” says Bobby Conner, “was the unsettling of the West for our people.” In this episode of The Hidden Trails of Oregon, we’re exploring the past, present and future of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, whose ancestral homelands stretch across Eastern Oregon. In 1993, the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail, tribal leadership attempted to build a center to tell the story of the trail...
Jul 28, 2025•22 min•Season 2Ep. 3
It might’ve been my first rodeo, but it won’t be my last! “It’s part action movie, part rock show blurring into the superbowl. It feels modern, but bull riding itself goes back to the bronze age. And that’s true for rodeo contests in general: bull riding, barrel racing or wild cow milking, they’re all based on tradition, and in keeping those traditions alive. ‘Let ‘Er Buck’ makes a lot of sense from the back of a bull. But as we find out, it’s much more than a rodeo shout: it’s a way of life.” W...
Jun 23, 2025•25 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome back to the Hidden Trails of Oregon! In the first episode of our new season, host Aaron Millar heads to the eastern edge of the state, far from the bustle of coastal cities and the craggy heights of the cascade mountains. We're going on location in the traditional lands of the Nez Perce to uncover a piece of history unknown to most outsiders. In the late 19th century, the Wallowa Band of the Nez Perce tribe were driven from their homeland. 200 warriors, protecting hundreds more women and...
May 31, 2025•26 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Do you want to know what it's like to stand at the feet of giants? It feels something like this... Check out the full series, Hidden Trails of Oregon, for an immersive first-person journey across America’s wild, weird, and wonder-filled state. Recorded on-location in surround sound audio, this documentary style podcast is designed to put you in the heart of Oregon’s most spectacular travel experiences. Led by expert guides and local characters, award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar will take ...
Feb 02, 2023•3 min
Do you want to know what it's like to go kayaking with a whale? It feels something like this... Check out the full series, Hidden Trails of Oregon, for an immersive first-person journey across America’s wild, weird, and wonder-filled state. Recorded on-location in surround sound audio, this documentary style podcast is designed to put you in the heart of Oregon’s most spectacular travel experiences. Led by expert guides and local characters, award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar will take you...
Feb 02, 2023•4 min
Do you want to know what it feels like to stand at the top of Crater Lake National Park? It feels something like this... Check out the full series, Hidden Trails of Oregon, for an immersive first-person journey across America’s wild, weird, and wonder-filled state. Recorded on-location in surround sound audio, this documentary style podcast is designed to put you in the heart of Oregon’s most spectacular travel experiences. Led by expert guides and local characters, award-winning travel writer A...
Feb 02, 2023•4 min
“You really can't help but feel it when you put in a little effort to get a little higher, to get to another vantage point. It makes you feel a sense of being placed in this time and space in a different way. That’s the sublime, a timeless element that is beyond what we can conceive. It's so important for the soul of humankind in the future of this landscape, and the future of humanity.” – Nathan Dwyer, Main Street Tours (from the top of Crater Lake National Park) Join us on the Central Nature T...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3
Is adventure about more than just wild times in the outdoors? In Oregon it is, and we’re going to find out why. Join us on the Coastal Adventure Trail for the second part of our documentary road trip, following award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar from Florence to Port Orford and beyond. This episode we’re taking the Coastal Adventure Trail. We begin at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, in Florence, for a sand-boarding lesson from world champion rider Gabe Cruz. Then head south down...
Nov 21, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Is being weird a good thing? In Oregon, it is – and we’re going to find out why. Join us for the first part of our documentary road trip, following award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar from Portland to Eugene. This episode we’re taking the Northern Culture Trail. We’re going to discover Portland’s favorite food carts, sample food from around the world and go on a secret bar crawl to hidden local spots. “Portland is the rebel base of the Star Wars universe, we’re sticking it to the forces of ...
Nov 07, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1
An immersive first-person journey across America’s wild, weird, and wonder-filled state. Recorded on-location in surround sound audio, this documentary style podcast is designed to put you in the heart of Oregon’s most spectacular travel experiences. Led by expert guides and local characters, award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar will take you beyond the guidebook to reveal Oregon’s secrets and discover the places only locals know. Join us on an adventure through one of America’s most awe-ins...
Nov 07, 2022•1 min
