Page 120 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

118  P A CIFIC NOR THWEST REGION B Y REGION

m Hells Canyon National
Recreation Area Tour

Some of the wildest terrain in North America clings to the
sides of craggy, 9,400-ft (2,865-m) peaks at Hells Canyon and
plunges to the famed basin far below, where the Snake River Salmon River
rushes through North America’s deepest river-carved gorge.
Visitors are awed by the massive canyon walls rising 7,993 ft
(2,436 m) and delight in the dense upland pine forests and
delicate flower-covered alpine meadows – 1,019 sq miles
(2,641 sq km) in all. Much of the terrain is too rugged to Hells Canyon National Recreation
Area viewpoint
cross, even on foot, making sections of the Snake River J
accessible only by boat. Many visitors settle for the stunning
views from several lookouts, and not one is disappointed.

Imnaha

1 Buckhorn Lookout
One of several spectacular overlooks in the Hells Canyon area, this remote spot offers
superb views of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and the Imnaha River canyon.
Joseph Imnaha River Road
Big Sheep Creek
2 Nee-Me-Poo Trail
Hikers on this national trail
follow in the footsteps of
Chief Joseph and 700 Nez
Perce Indians who, in 1877,
embarked on an 1,800-mile
(2,880-km) trek toward
freedom in Canada (see p31). J

Big Bar
6 Hells Canyon
Reservoir
Formed by Oxbow Dam
to the south and Hells
Canyon Dam to the
north, this 25-mile- Copperfield
(40-km-) long reservoir North Pine Creek
is part of a huge power- Oxbow Dam
generating complex on
the Snake River. A private
road along the east shore
provides boaters with
access to the river. Baker City

For hotels and restaurants see pp286–8 and pp296–8

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