Outdoor Adventures in Hell’s Canyon
If you fancy a road trip this summer, you can pile the kids into the minivan and head to Hell’s Canyon, which straddles the border of Oregon and Idaho, just below the southeast corner of Washington. I drove through it this weekend on my way to Boise, and it looks like a great place for some outdoor adventures. I passed quite a few river rafting outfits and fishing spots, and today I checked out the web to see what else there is to do.
The recreation area features three rivers which are designated Wild and Scenic: the Snake, Imnaha, and Rapid rivers. Hell’s Canyon has a claim to fame as the deepest river gorge in North America.
Some of the activities in the area include the afore mentioned rafting and fishing, camping and picnicking, and almost 900 miles of trails suitable for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. The towns nearby aren’t very populous, so if you’re looking for a place to get away from the crowds, chances are you can find some private wilderness here.
If you enjoy learning opportunities, there are also spots that offer educational site seeing: “Discover rural life in America with vibrant turn-of-the-century historic districts. Explore the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at Flagstaff Hill, near Baker City. Marvel at bronze sculptures at foundries in Joseph.”
If you’d like to know more about the area without all the effort involved in reading (heh), here’s a link to a video on Hell’s Canyon: Cradle of the Snake. More links and information (for those who don’t mind reading) are available on the USDA Forest Service site.