2017 Pacific Coast Trip - Hells Canyon, Idaho

Photo link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KknA6T6z5GsavEh82

Saturday, July 8^th  – Wednesday, July 12^th
Hells Gate State Park, Lewiston, Idaho

Upon leaving Coeur d'Alene Idaho we headed south to Lewiston Idaho. Located here is Hells Canyon, through which the Snake River flows. Again, the drive was through beautiful agricultural valleys right along the Washington - Idaho border. As we approached the town of Lewiston we realized we were on the top of a butte and there were amazing views down into the Lewiston Valley.  This is where the Clearwater River converges with the Snake River. There's a lot of history in Lewiston as at one point this was an actual shipping port to transport goods to and from the Pacific area. We drove down the steep hill into Lewiston and headed a little further south to Hell's Gate State Park, which is right along the Snake River. We were pleasantly surprised to see such a beautiful state park that had many shade trees and huge spacious RV sites. The park has a nice beach area along the river, along with many hiking and biking trails. There is so much history in this area as this was an actual location where Lewis and Clark came up the Clearwater River and camped along the Snake River. The state park has a huge Lewis and Clark Discovery Center with the full story, history and video re-enactment of the expedition to find the Corps of Discovery Expedition.

We were excited to see the Snake River (we had seen it a few years ago in the Yellowstone area). The next day we drove south along the river on the Washington side to explore and determine what our kayaking possibilities were. There were many rocky cliffs and interesting formations along the canyon walls. One of the principal rock formations is called Basalt, which are volcanic black rock formations in six-sided columns.

We obtained a trail map and we both rode our mountain bikes on the Hell's Gate trails around the park. There were great views of the river, the canyon and the Washington side to the west. The dogs also enjoyed playing on the riverfront beach and meeting some other doggy friends.

We did get our kayaks on the Snake River, we put-in upstream about 12 miles and floated south to the campground. Kurt was able to get a taxi driver to drive him back up to the put in and get the truck. It was a beautiful day on the river and it was amazing to see all the different rock formations along the canyon.

There is an outfitter called Snake River Adventures that does jet boat tours all the way up the river about 20 miles until they reach the dam. Kurt ended up taking the jet boat tour while I stayed at camp with the dogs, since it was a 12 hour day trip. He enjoyed the tour all the way back to where the canyon walls were more narrow and higher. Along the way they spotted some wildlife; there were several areas where bighorn sheep herds were grazing along the river and they even saw a bald eagle on the canyon rocks. There were also several locations where the basalt formations were part of the canyon walls.

We really enjoyed our time at Hells Canyon; the outdoor adventures and more history of the Lewis & Clark Discovery Expedition. Onward to our next adventures in Montana!