Hells Canyon Hikes
Straddling
the Snake River in Oregon and Idaho, Hells Canyon is simply
immense, at more than a mile deep, 10 miles wide and 80
miles long. Beyond its physical size is its dramatic,
rugged beauty — dark contorted chasms, massive basalt
cliffs and ever-changing light and shadow. Fortunately for
hikers, over 650,000 acres of this canyon were set aside as
a National Recreation Area in 1975, with a third designated
as Wilderness. Astounding, panoramic vistas are a feature
of nearly every hike in the canyon. But the price paid for
this grandeur is long drives to remote trailheads, plus
steep elevation drops for day hikes from the 6,000'-high
rim. Gas and supplies can be found in the towns of Joseph
and Enterprise.
Surprisingly,
Hells Canyon was not created by gradual down-cutting of the
Snake River. About 13 million years ago, regional faulting
and uplift blocked the river and created a massive lake
over southern Idaho. When local stream cutting breached
this lake, the waters of the Snake poured out in a
mega-flood toward the Columbia River, eroding through
4,000' of layered basalt into the jumbled sedimentary and
volcanic rocks below. Though this geology is most
prominent, small herds of elk, bighorn sheep and mountain
goats can also be spotted from miles away with binoculars.
At higher elevations, coniferous forests and alpine meadows
hold wildflowers into mid-Summer. With the homesteading and
mining history of the canyon, it all adds up to a superb
hiking destination.
Download
(PDF, 800 KB): Location Map of Hells Canyon
Hikes
Download
(PDF, 831 KB): Photos of the Hells Canyon
Area
Because the canyon is so vast, multi-night backpacking and
horse trips are a common way to visit. But day hikes are
also a good option, as long as one is prepared for the
dramatic elevation changes. The old joke is that day hikes
from the rim are "three miles down and six miles back!"
Descending in the cool of the morning, hikers need to be
certain they have the stamina to make the return climb in
the heat of the afternoon.
Less-demanding day hikes do exist at lower elevations in
the canyon along the Imnaha and Snake Rivers, but here one
has to deal with scorching summer heat, poison oak
thickets, jet boats and river rafters. We feel the cooler
temperatures, better views, wildflowers and solitude of
hikes from the high rim justify their increased difficulty.
The easiest of our day hikes is along McGraw Rim, a
3.6-mile (one way)
cross-country
ramble on semi-forested game trails with good views. Our
three moderate hikes — the Eureka Wagon Trail, Summit Ridge
Trail and Temperance Creek Trail — all drop 1,100'-1,700'
over 2.5-3.5 miles to spectacular viewpoints below the rim.
The most challenging hike is the Buck Creek Loop,
descending 1,800' over 3 miles to great viewpoints of the
inner gorge, but with faint trails and steep, 20% grades in
places.
> Eureka Wagon
Trail
> Temperance Creek
Trail
> Summit Ridge
Trail
> Buck Creek Loop
Hike
> McGraw Rim
Hike
Clickable
map of Hells Canyon hikes:
Page last updated:
12/10/14
