Hells Canyon

Hells Canyon is a deep gorge carved by the Snake River along the Idaho–Oregon border. Its maximum rim-to-river relief is about 7,993 feet.

Snake River: The Snake River is a major tributary of the Columbia River that flows through the northwestern United States. Its long-term erosion carved the gorge, and it still runs along the canyon floor.
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is a federally protected region encompassing the gorge and surrounding lands. It protects much of the canyon and adjoining landscapes across Idaho and Oregon.
Whitewater rafting: Whitewater rafting is the sport of navigating river rapids in an inflatable raft. Commercial and private trips follow the Snake River through the canyon’s rapids.
Nez Perce: The Nez Perce are an Indigenous people whose homeland includes parts of present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Nez Perce communities have enduring cultural and historical ties to the canyon region.
Grand Canyon: The Grand Canyon is a vast gorge carved by the Colorado River in northern Arizona. It is a familiar comparator, but Hells Canyon has greater rim-to-river relief at its deepest point.
Columbia River Basalt Group: The Columbia River Basalt Group is a vast sequence of flood-basalt lava flows in the Pacific Northwest. Its lava flows form much of the canyon’s exposed rock, cut by the Snake River.
Hells Canyon Wilderness: Hells Canyon Wilderness is a protected wilderness area on the Idaho side of the Snake River gorge. Its rugged slopes preserve some of the canyon’s least-developed terrain.
Jet boating: Jet boating is travel by a shallow-draft motorboat propelled by a high-speed water jet. Jet boats provide access to river reaches where the canyon’s terrain limits roads.
Shoshone people: The Shoshone are an Indigenous people with communities and homelands across the western United States. Shoshone histories and lifeways are part of the broader region surrounding the canyon.
Columbia River Gorge: The Columbia River Gorge is a river canyon along the Oregon–Washington border, cut through the Cascade Range. Both are major Pacific Northwest gorges, but the Columbia Gorge crosses a mountain range and has a different volcanic history.

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IdahoBroader topic: Its rugged terrain supports recreation and marks Idaho’s western boundary.