Hells Canyon

Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America — a vast, rugged chasm on the Idaho–Oregon border where the Snake River has carved down more than 7,900 feet, over a mile and a half, below the snowy peaks of the Seven Devils Mountains that rise above its eastern rim. Deeper than the Grand Canyon, it is a remote and dramatic landscape of steep walls, wild whitewater and profound solitude.

Protected within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, the canyon offers world-class whitewater rafting and jet-boating through its rapids, hiking and backpacking on its rugged trails, fishing for sturgeon and other fish, and viewpoints high on the rim. Rich in Native history, with petroglyphs and the homeland of the Nez Perce, and home to abundant wildlife, Hells Canyon is one of the wildest places in the lower 48 and a treasured natural icon of Idaho and Oregon.

Hells Canyon is famed for whitewater rafting and jet-boat trips through the Snake River’s big rapids, along with fishing (including for giant white sturgeon), hiking and backpacking on steep canyon and rim trails, hunting, and camping. Overlooks like Hells Canyon Overlook and the high Heaven’s Gate Lookout in the Seven Devils offer staggering views into the gorge. Running the river and gazing into the immense canyon from the rim are the signature draws. The combination of the deepest gorge, wild whitewater and remote wilderness makes Hells Canyon a premier and rugged destination.

Late spring through early fall is the main season — spring brings the biggest whitewater from snowmelt (and green canyon walls and wildflowers), summer is hot in the canyon depths but ideal for river trips (rafting and jet-boating peak), and fall offers pleasant weather and fewer people. The high rim country (Seven Devils) is snowbound into early summer and opens later. Winter access is very limited. Late spring for big water and summer for river trips are the highlights — come for a float or jet-boat trip, and beat the canyon heat with early starts.

Hells Canyon is the homeland of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) people, who lived along the Snake River and left petroglyphs and pictographs on its walls; the canyon figures in the history of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce. Pioneers, miners and ranchers later struggled in the rugged country. To protect it from further dam-building, Congress created the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in 1975, including wilderness and a Wild and Scenic stretch of the Snake. Hells Canyon preserves this deepest gorge, its wild river and its profound Native heritage, a treasured icon of Idaho and Oregon.

Hells Canyon was carved by the Snake River cutting down through ancient volcanic and oceanic rocks — including basalt lava flows and far older rocks of a chunk of ocean crust accreted to the continent — as the land rose and the river relentlessly eroded its bed over millions of years, creating the deepest river gorge on the continent. The Seven Devils Mountains rise more than 8,000 feet above the river within a few horizontal miles. The uplift, the hard ancient rock and the down-cutting Snake River created this immense canyon.

Hells Canyon teems with wildlife — bighorn sheep on the steep slopes, elk, mule and white-tailed deer, black bears, mountain lions, cougars, and a rich birdlife including eagles, hawks, falcons and chukar, while the Snake River holds giant white sturgeon, salmon, steelhead and bass. The range from river to high peaks supports abundant and diverse wildlife in a remote setting. Hells Canyon is renowned for wildlife watching, especially bighorn sheep and raptors on the canyon walls and the great sturgeon in the river — one of the wildest wildlife areas in the West.

The recreation area protects a dramatic range of ecosystems within the deepest gorge — from the hot, dry canyon bottom with its bunchgrass and the wild Snake River, up through shrub and forest, to the cold subalpine peaks and lakes of the Seven Devils Mountains, supporting abundant wildlife and a Wild and Scenic river. The huge elevation range packs many habitats into a small area. Protecting the wild river, the canyon slopes, the high peaks, the bighorn sheep and the fisheries sustains both the ecology and the wild grandeur of Hells Canyon.

Hells Canyon holds a treasured place among the icons of the West — the deepest river gorge in North America, a wild chasm of whitewater, bighorn sheep and immense solitude, and the homeland of the Nez Perce people, woven with the history of Chief Joseph and marked by ancient petroglyphs. Deeper than the Grand Canyon and saved from further damming, the canyon embodies the wild rivers and rugged country of the Northwest. Hells Canyon is a cherished natural and cultural icon of Idaho and Oregon.

Hells Canyon straddles the Idaho–Oregon border, within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest). Access is rugged and indirect: river trips launch near Hells Canyon Dam (reached via a long road from Oxbow); the high Seven Devils/Heaven’s Gate area is reached by a steep road from Riggins, Idaho; and rim overlooks lie off forest roads. There is no road along most of the canyon. Many roads are seasonal. River trips need permits/outfitters. Check the Hells Canyon NRA for access, permits, road conditions and seasons before visiting.

The Forest Service protects the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, its wild river and wilderness. Visitors help by following Leave No Trace, protecting the Snake River’s water and fisheries, respecting bighorn sheep and other wildlife (keeping distance), never disturbing the ancient petroglyphs and cultural sites, packing out everything (including along the river), preventing wildfire, and following river and wilderness rules. The wild river, the cultural sites and the wildlife are sensitive. Protecting the river, the canyon, the wildlife and the heritage sustains both the ecology and the wild grandeur of Hells Canyon.

Hells Canyon is remote, rugged and extreme — the canyon bottom is very hot in summer (carry abundant water and sun protection), access roads are long, steep, narrow and sometimes rough (check conditions and fuel up), and there is little or no cell service. The Snake River’s rapids are powerful and dangerous — run them only with proper skills, gear and permits or a licensed outfitter, and wear a life jacket. Trails are steep and exposed; watch for rattlesnakes, ticks and poison ivy. Respect the heat, the remoteness, the rough roads, the powerful river and the rugged terrain.

River trips on the Wild and Scenic Snake require permits (a seasonal lottery for private trips) or a licensed outfitter — check requirements. Camp on durable surfaces or in designated sites; follow Leave No Trace and river-specific rules (including packing out human waste on river trips). Do not disturb petroglyphs or cultural sites. Respect wildlife and bighorn sheep. Wilderness areas prohibit motorized/mechanized travel and drones. Prevent wildfire; follow fire restrictions. Fishing requires a license. Check the Hells Canyon NRA for permits, fees and current rules before visiting.

The towns of Riggins (a whitewater hub) and Council in Idaho and Joseph and Enterprise in Oregon’s Wallowa country, the Seven Devils Mountains, the Wallowa Mountains and Wallowa Lake across in Oregon, and the Salmon River country lie near the canyon. The Snake River and the Seven Devils define the region. Hells Canyon anchors one of the wildest regions of the Northwest, a centerpiece of an Idaho–Oregon adventure, easily combined with Salmon River rafting from Riggins and the Wallowa Mountains and Joseph on the Oregon side.

Experience the canyon from the river — book a whitewater raft or jet-boat trip from near Hells Canyon Dam (or out of Riggins) with a licensed outfitter — and for a staggering rim view, drive the steep road from Riggins up to Heaven’s Gate Lookout in the Seven Devils (open midsummer). Come in late spring for big water or summer for river trips, carry lots of water for the canyon heat, check road conditions and fuel up (it’s remote), and look for bighorn sheep on the canyon walls.