Hells Canyon

About this spectacle

Hells Canyon carves the deepest river gorge in North America, where the Snake River churns far below basalt walls that rise thousands of feet on both sides. Standing at the rim, visitors take in a vast, layered landscape of exposed rock strata in ochres, grays, and reds, dropping away to a thin ribbon of river below. The scale is disorienting — the opposite canyon wall, Idaho's Seven Devils peaks, rises dramatically across the void. Hawks and eagles ride thermals overhead. The canyon air carries the dry scent of sagebrush and warm rock. In cooler months, morning mist pools in the gorge, softening distant ridgelines into blue-gray silhouettes. The sheer vertical drop and the silence — broken only by wind and distant rapids — leave most visitors humbled and wordless.

When to go

May — Oct, peak Sep — Jun

Getting there

Nearest airport: BOI. Nearest city: Lewiston.

Booking options

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