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The Snake River travels a 1,056 mile journey from it's headwaters at 9,800 feet elevation in Yellowstone Park to it's confluence with the Columbia River. Hells Canyon and the Snake form the Oregon/Idaho border. With a maximum depth of over 7,900 feet, Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
Thankfully, congress has seen fit to preserve this unique natural treasure for all by forming the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. It has been designating "Wild and Scenic" under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Dramatic shifts in the Canyon's appearance accompany the changing seasons: From velvety green slopes covered with wildflowers in the spring, to desert vistas in the fading heat of late summer. Hells Canyon is a diverse ecological treasure: From the Hells Canyon Creek launch site (1,438 foot elevation) and the summit of the Seven Devils Mountain (9,393-foot elevation), to cactus fields and alpine mountain meadows. The River itself tumbles hundreds of feet between the basalt and granite walls of Hells Canyon. Rapids such as Wild sheep, Granite, Waterspout and Rush Creek provide exhilaration and excitement between the relaxing calm stretches.
The small side-streams have carved deep gorges which beckon the would-be-explorers as we drift by. The earliest known settlers in Hells Canyon were the Nez Perce tribe. More than 100 years ago famed Chief Joseph and his tribe of Nez Perce Indians lived in Hells Canyon. The Shoshone-Bannock, Northern Paiute and Cayuse Indians were also drawn to the area for its milder winters. Plentiful wildlife for hunting and abundant food for themselves and their livestock made the Hells Canyon area ideal. Their presence is evident in the many fine petroglyphs and pictographs on the canyon walls.
There is certainly no shortage of wildlife that make Hells Canyon their home. Eagles and Falcons soar above the ridges. On the ground we find Elk, Mule Deer, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Bear, Cougar, Bobcat, Coyote, Mink and Otter. |
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It’s almost impossible to experience everything Hells Canyon has to offer in one trip. We provide the options, equipment and expertise; you decide what you want to do. Hiking up side canyons to 100-year-old homesteads and 1,000 year old Indian pictographs gives you a sense of the canyon's previous inhabitants. You can paddle one of our inflatable kayaks and challenge the power of the Snake River, grab a fishing rod to experience catching and releasing sturgeon, which are both bigger and older than you are, or just lay back in the boat, work on your sun tan and watch the incredible scenery roll by. Seventy-degree water, stars you can almost touch and half a billion years of geology all add up to a mystical place you'll never forget.
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Canyon Outfitters trips are designed to fit your needs, yet exceed your expectations.
More than 30 years of safely outfitting river trips through Hells Canyon has given us the experience to make your vacation exciting and memorable!
Your trip actually begins the day you arrive in Halfway. More than 20 years ago we began the tradition of inviting our river guests to join us and our crew at our headquarters for dinner the night before we launch on the river. This tradition has endured and become an intrical part of a Canyon Outfitters river trip.The opportunity to greet old friends and set new ones off on the river trip of their lives is something that we all look forward to.
After dinner on our lovely deck, you'll recieve a brief instruction on fitting of lifejackets, packing of bags and an overview of what to expect for the next four days on the river, then we send you off to the Halfway Motel, just a few minutes’ walk away, for a good nights' sleep before the real adventure begins!
Next morning we’ll meet you back here for a great breakfast. There is time to take care of last minute details, make your shuttle arrangements and to pick up those forgotten items before we head to the launch site, a 40 minute drive away at Hells Canyon Dam.
So from when you arrive here in Halfway to when we take out at your trips' end everything is taken care of. All meals, accommodations, river transportation..., could there be a more perfect vacation ?
"There are no words to express the warmth and personal touches that you both put into the trip that made it all the more special for me" ..... Laura. |
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