Hells Canyon National Recreation Area★5.0

Northwest > Oregon > Hells Canyon National Recreation Area

Scottb211 from Gaylord, Michigan, U.S.A., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

National recreation area on the borders of states of Oregon and Idaho protects the historic and archaeological values of the Hells Canyon area and the area of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington border

General Information

Hours:
Fees:
Pet Policy:
Closest cities with hotels:
Chiloquin, 20 miles, Klamath Falls, 42 miles
Seasons:
Open all year though fully accessible for only four months during summer, owing to the very heavy winter snowfall
Portland, OR Weather Forecast

How to Get There

Overview

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area protects 652,000 acres along the Snake River on the Oregon-Idaho border, home to Hells Canyon, North America's deepest river gorge. The canyon is ten miles wide, more than a mile below the Oregon rim and 7,400 feet below the Idaho Seven Devils peaks. It has no roads across it, and three roads lead to the river between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington line.

Highlights

  • Hells Canyon Dam and the Wild and Scenic Snake: 67 miles of river below the dam are designated, with jet boat and rafting trips
  • Overlooks: Hat Point Lookout, Buckhorn Lookout, and Kinney Point
  • Pittsburg Landing and Dug Bar: river access and campgrounds, and Native pictographs at Buffalo Eddy (500-plus) and Pittsburg Landing
  • Hells Canyon Wilderness: about 360 miles of trails, black bear, elk, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep
  • Snake River National Recreation Trail #102: along the Idaho side
  • Camping: 17 campgrounds, seven of them on the Oregon side

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hells Canyon National Recreation Area", "Hells Canyon", and "Hells Canyon Wilderness (Oregon and Idaho)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Crater Lake Wizard Island South View
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Crater Lake Observation Deck
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Dinosaur
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Statue
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Entrance
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Wall Drug Entrance
Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted