hells canyon national recreation area

Great Jet Boat Trip through beautiful remote canyons. Lots of historical land markings and indian culture.

I have lived and recreated here for the last 20 years. The Hells Canyon National Scenic Recreation Area is simply awesome. There are so many things to do and see! Fishing, rafting, boating, hunting, birdwatching, hiking, or just taking in the rugged scenic beauty of Hells Canyon. One trip will not be enough, you'll want to come again!

Going against the current can be refreshing, and invigorating! In the spring the Snake River in Hells Canyon flows up to 80,000 cubic feet per second, which works out to over 600,000 gallons per second! Boating on top of this rushing river in the deepest gorge in North America anytime of the year will create memories that will be imprinted on your conscience for a lifetime. No matter which tour operator you use, the licensed river pilots are all friendly and knowledgeable, and always have interesting tidbits of knowledge about the river, history, wildlife, and geologic features. If you have time, take a full day tour up to "The Dam" and ride through rapids that grow in size up to class V that will have you gripping your seat or the person next to you. Some of the rapids drop as much as 5-6' in a few hundred yards. Learn about old steam paddle wheelers and how they navigated the river, see what 6' power line safety balls look like when they are 850' above you (tiny!), and learn some of the history of the Nez Perce Indians and Chief Joseph. His tribes1600 mile attempt to get to Canada ended with the last great fight between a nation of Native Americans and the United States government. As he surrendered to the US Calvary and spoke his famous words; “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” The river is crystal clear, awe inspiring anytime of year, and well worth the time and expense to see from a jet boat.

As a stop on a Columbia/Snake river cruise, we did a jetboat ride, four hours, into Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. It's absolutely beautiful, if somewhat barren. Noticed the Idaho side was burned, for miles, due to a lightning strike this summer. We went in fall, so not quite the same as if we were there in summer for the beaches and swimming, but loved it regardless. Definitely want to come back for a longer stay in the area.

We drove to the Hells Canyon Dam and wondered at the sheer beauty of the canyon, the lake and the beginning of the river adventurers. This was well worth the drive to see a continuing sequence of vistas and scenic venues.

Advise to take a river excursion to take full advantage of this area. Most of the history is on the river. Fascinating. If you are a rafter, this is the place for you - Class 1 through 5! Exciting time. River is clean, beautiful and has many lovely sandy beaches along it.

Great trip, interesting, fun. Good tour company. The operators were informed, interesting and professional.

Love having this wonderful area just at my doorstep. Not literally but there is fishing hiking you name it. I love to fish with my husband and bass stealhead you name it. great fun

Great staff in visitors center, even filled my husband's new coffee cup. Clean, clearly marked trails.

My white water rafting days are over so Beamers Jet Boat Tours was the next best choice. The boats are large, powerful with all the comforts; bench seating,covered top, open windows, bathroom and a smooth dry ride. I took the full day trip which is 200 miles round trip. Several stops along the way. Besides the amazing gorge we saw deer and long horn sheep. Box lunch and soft drinks were good and the Captain informative but David the mate was a standout in service and attitude. I went in September when the river is low and not very challenging. I'd like to try it in the spring when the ride can be really exciting. But if you want to have a relaxing trip down the canyon, September was eighty degrees hot and a smooth ride.

My trip to Hells Canyon was the trip of a lifetime. Deep canyons, white water, history, down the river on a jet and get back to our tour boat. We even grounded on the bank on the Oregon side of the canyon one mile from turn around but banded together to move the boat and get back to Clarkston. A more active adventure than planned but still a wondrous experience

practically in the town of lewiston and very crowded. not good for camping unless you are just wanting to sleep next to strangers and share a campfire story. Good for swimming in town

A group of five of us did the three day trip down the Snake River, Hells Canyon in Idaho. Everything was great, the river experience, the people and the food! I'm a vegetarian and still thought the food was amazing. They even made me a the two other veggies on the trip a tofu dish that was top notch.The guides are great at what they do and an AWESOME group. They really have passion for what they do and it shows! Can't wait to do it again and thanks for the great time.

I have made between 10 and 15 trips up Hells Canyon by both commercial and private jet boats during the past 20 years, and no two are the same. I have stayed overnight at Copper Creek as part of one of the 2-day commercial trips called "US Mail Tour," by Beamer's, and that trip was memorable. Food and lodging were part of the package. Several stops were made going both up and down river at the many historic attractions on either shore. The many species of wildlife that can be observed on the trips is varied, and can include bighorn sheep, river otters, many species of raptors, deer, Great Blue Herons, chukars, quail, pheasant and many more. If you get to Lewiston, Idaho, for whatever reason, don't fail to scratch a trip up Hells Canyon from your bucket list.

One of the many attractions in the Lewiston, ID area is the jet boat trip up the Snake River to Hells Canyon (full trip) or part way up and return. My wife and I took the jet boat trip on a recent anniversary. The Snake and Clearwater rivers both meet at Lewiston (Clarkston, WA is across the Snake River from Lewiston - both towns are named after Lewis and Clark who made their historic trip to the Pacific Ocean). The Jet boats skim the rapids and it is a very fun and comfortable trip. By the way the Salmon and Steelhead fishing is another great attraction for the 2 rivers.