2 Best Sights in Hells Canyon, Eastern Oregon

Most travelers take a scenic peek from the overlook on the 45-mile Wallowa Mountain Loop, which follows Forest Service Road 39 (part of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway) from just east of Halfway on Route 86 to just east of Joseph on Route 350. At the junction of Forest Service Road 39 and Forest Service Road 3965, take the 6-mile round-trip spur to the 5,400-foot-high rim at Hells Canyon Overlook. This is the easiest way to get a glimpse of the canyon, but be aware that Forest Service Road 39 is open only during summer and early fall. During the late fall, winter, and spring the best way to experience Hells Canyon is to follow a slightly more out-of-the-way route along the Snake River just off the Wallowa Mountain Loop. Following Snake River Road north from Oxbow, the 60-mile round-trip route winds along the edge of Hells Canyon Reservoir on the Idaho side, crossing the Snake River at Hells Canyon Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border. Be sure you have a full tank before starting out, since there are no gas stations anywhere along the route.

This is the site of one of the largest elk herds in the United States, plus around 350 other species, including bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, cougars, beavers, otters, and rattlesnakes. The peregrine falcon has also been reintroduced here. Part of the area was designated as Hells Canyon Wilderness, in parts of Oregon and Idaho, with the establishment of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in 1975. Additional acres were added as part of the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, and the recreation area currently extends across more than 652,000 wild and rugged acres. Nine hundred miles of trails wind through the wilderness area, closed to all mechanized travel. If you want to visit the wilderness, it must be on foot, mountain bike, or horseback. Three of its rivers (the Snake, Imnaha, and Rapid) have been designated as Wild and Scenic. Environmental groups have proposed the creation of Hells Canyon National Park to better manage the area's critical habitat. You can access the canyon from several points—see the website for an overview map.