USA Guide
The Pacific Northwest
Hells Canyon
The Snake River has cut the deepest chasm on the continent – Hells Canyon, a 130-mile gorge that's a thousand feet deeper than the Grand Canyon, though it doesn't really look it, since it lacks the vertiginous walls of its Arizona counterpart. With the Seven Devils mountains rising above it, the area is preserved as Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (day pass $5; 
www.fs.fed.us/hellscanyon ), where deer, otters, mink, and elk live, along with rattlesnakes, black bears, and mountain lions. Motor vehicles are banned in much of the canyon, so you can only explore by foot or on horseback. The forest roads that skirt the area are rough and slippery, and many are closed by snow much of the year. If you intend to use them, first check with the rangers in Enterprise, 88401 Hwy-82 ( 
541/426-5546), or Baker City, 1550 Dewey Ave ( 541/523-6391). Also available is information on the USFS's twenty scattered primitive campgrounds (first-come, first-served; free or $5) – eleven in Oregon, nine in Idaho.
From Joseph, Little Sheep Creek Highway leads to Imnaha, where a narrow and perilous graveled Forest Service road leads to the ultimate view from Hat Point, site of a campground and lookout tower. The easier approach is at the south end of the canyon, along Hwy-86 east from Baker City. Another approach heading into the canyon, from the town of Halfway on Hwy-86, meets the Snake River at Oxbow Dam, where a rough Forest Service road leads to Hells Canyon Dam, the launching-point for exhilarating jet-boat and rafting trips through the canyon. Hells Canyon Adventures (reserve at 541/785-3352 or 1-800/422-3568; www.hellscanyonadventures.com ) and other companies run these and other sightseeing tours in the summer (2–3hr; $45–55 per person).