Hells Canyon


Hells Canyon is a canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon, a small section of eastern Washington and western Idaho in the United States. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and is North America's 2nd deepest river gorge at. Notably, Hells Canyon runs deeper than the better-known Grand Canyon.
The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River, which flows more than below the canyon's west rim on the Oregon side and below the peaks of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains range to the east. Most of the area is inaccessible by road.

Geology

The geologic history of the rocks of Hells Canyon began 300 million years ago with an arc of volcanoes that emerged from the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Over millions of years, the volcanoes subsided and limestone built up on the underwater platforms. The basins between them were filled with sedimentary rock. Between 130 and 17 million years ago, the ocean plate carrying the volcanoes collided with and became part of the North American continent. A period of volcanic activity followed, and much of the area was covered with floods of basalt lava, which smoothed the topography into a high plateau. The Snake River began carving Hells Canyon out of the plateau about 6 million years ago. Significant canyon-shaping events occurred as recently as 15,000 years ago during a massive outburst flood from Glacial Lake Bonneville in Utah.

History

Inhabitatants

The earliest known residents in Hells Canyon were the Nez Percé tribe. Others tribes visiting the area were the Shoshone-Bannock, northern Paiute and Cayuse Indians. The mild winters, and ample plant and wildlife attracted human habitation. Pictographs and petroglyphs on the walls of the canyon are a record of the Indian settlements.
In 1806, three members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition entered the Hells Canyon region along the Salmon River. They turned back without seeing the deep parts of the canyon. It was not until 1811 that the Wilson Price Hunt expedition explored Hells Canyon while seeking a shortcut to the Columbia River. Hunger and cold forced them to turn back, as also did many explorers who were defeated by the canyon's inaccessibility. There remains no evidence in the canyon of their attempts; their expedition journals are the only documentation. Early explorers sometimes called this area Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon.
The early miners were next to follow. In the 1860s gold was discovered in river bars near present-day Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and miners soon penetrated Hells Canyon; however, gold mining there was not profitable. Evidence of their endeavors remains visible along the corridor of the Snake River. Later efforts concentrated on hard-rock mining, requiring complex facilities. Evidence of these developments is visible today, especially near the mouth of the Imnaha River.
In the 1880s there was a short-lived homesteading boom, but the weather was unsuited to farming and ranching, and most settlers soon gave up. However, some ranchers still operate within the boundaries of the National Recreation Area.
In May 1887, perhaps 34 Chinese gold miners were ambushed and killed in the area, in an event known as the Hells Canyon Massacre.

Damming the Snake River

After completion of large hydropower dams on the Columbia River in the 1930s through the 1950s, several entities sought approval from the Federal Power Commission to build dams on the Snake River, including a high dam in Hells Canyon. In 1955, the commission issued a license to the Idaho Power Company to build a three-dam complex in the canyon:
The three dams have a combined generating capacity of 1,167 megawatts of electricity. The complex, which provides about 70 percent of Idaho's hydroelectricity, blocks migration of salmon and other anadromous fish upstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
Two additional dams, Mountain Sheep and Pleasant Valley, were proposed in 1955 above the mouth of the Salmon River and below the Hells Canyon Dam. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 held up progess, but with the energy crisis, they were revived in 1975; these projects were sponsored by consortiums Pacific Northwest Power Company and Washington Public Power Supply System. At the end of that year, President Gerald Ford signed legislation to create the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the projects

Recreation

There are many recreational activities available within the canyon. Activities in Hells Canyon include fishing, jet boat tours, hunting, hiking, camping and whitewater sports. Much of these activities rely on the mighty Snake River, which is the main factor in the creation of Hells Canyon. The Snake River is home to numerous fish species, an abundance of class I-IV rapids, diverse wildlife and miles of trail systems. These key components make Hells Canyon an outdoor recreation mecca that brings in tourists from around the world. Hells canyon offers tours year round, while most of the whitewater activities peak in summer months. To participate in these recreational activities one can utilize commercial charters or private trips.

Access

No roads cross Hells Canyon and only three roads reach the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon–Washington state boundary further downstream. From Oxbow Bridge near Copperfield, Oregon, Hells Canyon Road follows the Idaho side of the river downstream to the Hells Canyon Dam. The road crosses the dam and continues another mile to the Hells Canyon Visitor Center on the Oregon side. Further north on the Idaho side, Deer Creek Road connects White Bird, Idaho, to the river at Pittsburg Landing. Near the northern end of the canyon, Forest Road 4260, the last part of which is too rough for most cars, reaches the river at Dug Bar, from Imnaha, Oregon. On the canyon rims, viewpoints accessible by road include Hat Point and Buckhorn in Oregon and Heavens Gate in Idaho.

Points of interest

No.FeatureCoordinatesRiver mileElevationDescription
1Dug BarLower Imnaha Road on the Oregon side reaches the Snake at this river bar.
2Pittsburg LandingDeer Creek Road reaches the river and a United States Forest Service campground here, on the Idaho side.
3Lower endOfficial canyon ends here, according to the Geographic Names Information System.
4Hells Canyon DamFurthest downstream in the three-dam Hells Canyon Complex. The only dam in the official canyon.
5Upper endOfficial canyon begins here, according to the Geographic Names Information System.
6Oxbow DamMiddle dam of the three-dam Hells Canyon Complex. Upstream of the official canyon.
7Brownlee DamFurthest upstream in the three-dam Hells Canyon Complex; not in the official canyon.
8Hat Point Lookout
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Viewpoint on the Oregon side of the canyon rim.
9Buckhorn Lookout
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Viewpoint on the Oregon side of the canyon rim.
10Kinney Point
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Viewpoint on the Idaho side of the canyon rim.

Works cited