hells gate state park

Stayed here before and after rafting the Salmon River. It's our "go-to" spot to stay. The grounds are clean, and reasonably quiet. the campsites are very close together though, pretty much no privacy whatsoever, but the location along the river is nice and convenient.

I love where it is at and love to take family and friends there. One of the things that they do not offer is veterans discounts of any kind.

camping is very nice surroundings and natural settings. enjoyed our stay there. only thing is the highway across the river. sometimes a little noisy. but fairly quiet in the evening and at night. other than that, a great place to camp. the bathrooms were kept very clean as well as the grounds. camp hosts were there when needed.

Since the river has been damned below the Snake the river is almost like a lake here. This a nice local park, but not much to see for a out-of-town tourist.

We wanted a walk along the river when we found Hell's Gate State Park. First the toll taker waived our toll because my husband was wearing a veteran hat. She asked for veteran ID and informed us that anyone who not or who had served in the military does not pay to get into the park. We started at the Lewis and Clark expedition center and learned about some of the history of the area. Then it was off to the trails. We love to hike and usually it is in wooded areas. This was unlike any hiking we had done before as this is more like a desert area with mountains and low growing plants. there are some wildflowers but most of the plants were like yellow sagebrush. There are several trails, all very well marked and with difficulty markers also. From a lot of the trails there are good vies of the Snake River and benches from which you can rest and enjoy the views. For an hour or a full day this is a wonderful park in which to spend some time.

I wanted to take my dog for a swim inthe river and ended up here. The park has playgrounds and picnic tables in the shade and an area for swimming. It was only $5 for the day use and my dog and I had a lot of fun swimming and playing. There are walking trails, huge areas for picnics and I would recommend it as a perfect place to spend a relaxing day.

Generous and clean campsites. Exceptionally clean washrooms / showers. Lovely big trees and grassy sites with paved parking for RV's. Serviced sites. Bike Paths and beach area as well as museum. Lovely park!

We visited Hells Gate this summer and really enjoyed the stay. We were in the RV spot right next to the amphitheater and very close to the beach access area. We had a great time, stayed for 4 days. The museum and visitor center are fun for a quick walk destination. Our kids spent most of the time in the water. Great beach access with plenty of soft sand and shallow water for them to play in. Easy for a 40 foot RV to get in and out.

After spending a week camping in Montana where there state parks offered very few services, we were pleasantly surprised to find that this campsite had beautiful spots with trees, and quite a bit of space in between the sites. Gorgeous spot along the river, showers and campfire pits. Some nice hikes in the mountains, and a nice swimming area. We would definitely return - great value for $18.

I'm beginning to think it's a State of Idaho thing but their parks check-in people all seem to have a poor customer service attitude. We pulled in about 12:30 pm to inquire if they had openings for us for two nights. We were told they had two spots but that we would not be allowed to check in until after 2:00 pm. We offered to pay to hold a spot and then return after two but they refused. We returned at 1:55 pm and there were three people ahead of us checking in, all before the magic 2 pm. Fortunately we did get the only remaining spot, just ahead of the next person in line. Had we have waited until after 2 as instructed, we would have been out of luck. When I mentioned how upset I would have been to the clerk she asked the other clerk, who had first turned me away, why we weren't allowed to pay and hold the spot. He simply replied that "it's not allowed." There was no further discussion.

We camped in Hells Gate State Park last week. The campgrounds are very pretty with lots of grassy areas and shade trees. A very nice swimming beach area. Even if you don't want to camp, you can come spend the day at the park, costs $5 for each car to get in. A great playground and picnic area for families. I would definitely camp there agin, and/or just spend the day.

I thought there would be a (national park type) interpretive center and possibly more information on the jet boats excursions. That's not the case. There is a Lewis and Clark center there, but not much to see and takes about 15 minutes to go through.As for the Jack O'Conner center, it seems to be a lot of animal heads from hunting expeditions to Africa, India and elsewhere. I'd much rather see the animals in a zoo.Park is well maintained and I believe there is RV camping available. (better check though). I don't mind paying $5.00 to get in and to support the park system, but that's not to say I felt I got my money's worth. If you're looking for the comprehensive guide to the Canyon together with information on all the attractions... this isn't it.

Fun place to visit, but bring some paper towels, windex, etc to wipe down table. Grass needs to be cut and watch out for goose waste. It is nice to be able to have covered area to get out of the sun.

very small park with little too see other than a nice view of river and a big rock... should have passed

This area is next to the river and is well cared for. Lot's of people on the walking paths lots of shade trees and a great museum. The fee per car is $5.00 and no fee for the museum.