Visit to Hells Canyon

Bucket list - check!  Four years ago while staying in Pollock, Idaho (our next stop when we leave here) we wanted to visit the overlook of Hells Canyon - the deepest gorge in North America.  But, snow got in the way.  Our path was covered in deep snow so we never got to see it.

Drove through the Payette National Forest to get to the Hells Canyon

Where does the road go?

Farewell Bend at the bottom, Hells Canyon Dam at the top of the river

Yesterday we drove from the south up into the canyon, following the Snake River past 3 dams to the end of the road at Hells Canyon Creek Visitor Center.  Talk about wow factor!  Driving along the route that drops down into the first area - Brownlee Dam - was a very twisty turny road.  Hugging the road, hoping not to fall off because the drop off would have been deadly.  But scenic!

An idea where we were yesterday

Water is low, boat ramps way up on 'land'

Brownlee Dam - water pretty low

Back of the dam, small water spilling over

We got down to the Snake River and was surprised at how low the water was.  When we stopped at an information kiosk and looked down into the reservoir created by the damming of the river, we saw where boats were beached and the ramp up was way up there.  Continued along the road heading more north, hugging the Snake River, we had crossed over into Idaho and was on the western side of the River.

I like the sign at top - hear the siren, run like hell!

Still waters run deep

And then the sides of the cliffs began to get higher

Very scenic, the sun was shining just right and the reflection in the water was beautiful.  Once we passed the first dam - Brownlee, we had no concept that the river was low.  We could tell it was moving, but no sense as to the drought due to the powers that be only letting so much water through the next dam.  And we reached the second dam - Oxbow.  Only they built the road away from it, we did not stop to see it, just continued on up the river.  Again, the waters were moving.

We were on the lookout for big horn sheep - never saw them,
did see their tracks

The road we traveled was cut into the side - above right

Rapids near Hells Canyon Dam

At this point we noticed the rock cliffs above us getting steeper.  And the lack of vegetation.  Water looked high to us.  Occasionally we saw a power boater out there, had many places to pull off and view our surroundings.  Then the road got very steep, hugging the cliffs.  We came to the third dam - Hells Canyon Dam.  Big wow!

We will be camping next near the Rapid Creek Fish Hatchery

If the water was higher - you could take a boat ride!

The spillway

2 things surprised me - where did the trees come from that
they have to dredge out, and, boy did this smell!!!

Drove on top of dam over River to visitor's center

Again, water flowing out of the dam continuing on north to the Columbia was quite low.  But, there are some more rivers that flow into the Snake before it joins the Columbia.  When we looked at the reference map as to where we were in the Canyon - we saw that we were almost in line with our next campground in Pollack.  And the overlook was almost above us.  Just a gorgeous area.

You COULD hike down to the spill way - nope.

Look closely on right - see trail's handrails down?  Nope still.

Steep canyon walls

The Snake River begins it's journey in Yellowstone National Park, near Jackson Lake.  It flows through Wyoming, into Idaho and along the southern area of the state before it snakes back north, bordering Idaho and Oregon, before it joins the Columbia River in Washington.  The Snake is the largest river flowing into the Columbia.  The Snake has 14 dams, the 3 we saw here were impressive. Once it passes through the Canyon more north does the next 4 dams have navigational locks for boaters to pass through.  These 3 dams we saw today do not have fish ladders.  There is one fish hatchery near Oxbow Dam that stocks that reservoir/river, but none between Brownlee and Oxbow, nor nothing after Hells Canyon Dam.  There is a the Rapid River fish hatchery on the eastern side of the Canyon which supplies the stock above Hells Canyon.

Looking north past  Hells Canyon Dam 

And looking back south from where we drove