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Hells Canyon is a canyon in the Western United States, along the border of eastern Oregon, western Idaho, and a small section of eastern Washington. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area which is also located in part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. It is North America's deepest river gorge at , running deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River, which flows more than below the canyon's west rim on the Oregon side and below the peaks of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains to the east. This area includes of wilderness. Most of the area is inaccessible by road.
Area rivers began carving Hells Canyon out of the plateau about 6 million years ago. Water from Lake Idaho overtopped a natural divide between it and the Salmon River around 3 million years ago, allowing the Snake River to flow through the plateau and further carve the canyon. A 2025 study concludes that the canyon is younger than previously thought, beginning only 1.6 million years ago. Significant canyon-shaping events occurred as recently as 15,000 years ago during a massive outburst flood from Lake Bonneville in Utah. The canyon rim contains dense forests, scenic overlooks and mountain peaks. At the bottom of the canyon, the area is a dry, desert environment.
In 1806, three members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition entered the Hells Canyon region along the Salmon River. They turned back without seeing the deep parts of the canyon. It was not until 1811 that the Wilson Price Hunt expedition explored Hells Canyon while seeking a shortcut to the Columbia River. Hunger and cold forced them to turn back, as also did many explorers who were defeated by the canyon's inaccessibility. There remains no evidence in the canyon of their attempts; their expedition journals are the only documentation. Early explorers sometimes called this area Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon.
The early miners were next to follow. In the 1860s, gold was discovered in river bars near present-day Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and miners soon penetrated Hells Canyon; however, gold mining there was not profitable. Evidence of their endeavors remains visible along the corridor of the Snake River. Later efforts concentrated on hard-rock mining, requiring complex facilities. Evidence of these developments is visible today, especially near the mouth of the Imnaha River.
In the 1880s there was a short-lived Homestead Act boom, but the weather was unsuited to farming and ranching, and most settlers soon gave up. However, some ranchers still operate within the boundaries of the National Recreation Area.
In May 1887, 34 Chinese gold miners were ambushed and killed in the area, in an event known as the Hells Canyon Massacre. No one was held accountable. Groups of white men ambushed the Chinese gold miners because of an Anti-Chinese movement that made its way to Oregon.
The three dams have a combined generating capacity of 1,167 (MW) of electricity. The complex, which provides about 70 percent of Idaho's hydroelectricity, blocks migration of salmon and other anadromous fish upstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
Two additional dams, Mountain Sheep and Pleasant Valley, were proposed in 1955 above the mouth of the Salmon River and below the Hells Canyon Dam. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 held up progress, but with the energy crisis, they were revived in 1975; these projects were sponsored by consortiums Pacific Northwest Power Company and Energy Northwest (WPPSS). At the end of that year, President Gerald Ford signed legislation to create the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the projects
The first river runners were on the canyon rapids by 1928. (2025). 9781414487397, Gale/Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781414487397
Farther north on the Idaho side, Deer Creek Road connects White Bird, Idaho, to the river at Pittsburg Landing. Near the northern end of the canyon, Forest Road 4260 (Lower Imnaha Road), the last part of which is too rough for most cars, reaches the river at Dug Bar, from Imnaha, Oregon.Sullivan, pp. 268–76 On the canyon rims, viewpoints accessible by road include Hat Point and Buckhorn in Oregon and Heavens Gate in Idaho.
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