Northern exposure: Living Hells

Jet boating on the Snake River in Hells Canyon is guaranteed to be a memorable experience for the entire family.

Lewiston, just 118 miles south of Coeur d’Alene, is the jet boat capital of world. There you will board the boat for an exciting full day of cruising a major river with 84 rapids surrounded by and at the bottom of the deepest river gorge in the United States.

At Lewiston is the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Water on the Snake originates in the accumulated snow of Wyoming’s Teton Range. The water flows through Idaho from east to west, picking up more water on its journey. After being slowed and controlled by several dams, the river bends north and makes up the boundary between Idaho and Oregon. The Snake River flows 1,038 miles from its to the confluence with the Columbia River at Pasco.

Two million years ago, according to geologists, lava began pouring out of the ground and covered the surrounding land. Time and again the cycle of hot lava erupted out of the ground, spreading out and cooling. Like a huge layer cake, 100 flows later, the 80,000-acre Columbia Plateau was formed. Through these layers ran the Snake River, cutting deeper and deeper as the land mass rose up and the river continued to flow to the ocean. Eventually the longest basalt (lava) canyon in the world was carved out of the layered rock. The canyon is nearly 7,913 feet deep in one area near the mouth of Granite Creek.

The river flows fast through most of Hells Canyon, and it takes a powerful boat to fight the current and push upstream through the many rapids. In the early days steamboats struggled part way up the canyon to supply mining camps. In one especially bad section of the river the steamboat captains would use cables to pull the boat through the rapids. Today commercial tour boat operators use the powerful jet boat to navigate upstream. The ride is surprisingly smooth, as the boat seems to skim over the surface of the water. Private jet boats are also seen on the water heading for a favorite fishing hole or pulled up on a sandy beach to allow families to hang out or swim.

The day trip on the river offers many attractions besides the spectacular canyon scenery. The jet boat operator provides an ongoing interpretive talk on geologic features as the boat pushes up the river. There is a good possibility of wildlife sightings. Deer often are seen by the riverbanks, mountain sheep are found up on the steep, rocky cliffs above the river and eagles can soar over the boat. The mining history is explained as mine sites are passed. The confluence of two very large rivers and the canyons of the Snake and the Salmon are obvious, with the jet boat leaning into the right channel and continuing up the Snake. The location is pointed out where Chief Joseph and his tribe crossed the Snake River in the swollen spring waters to escape into Idaho before the tribe eventually made it to Montana. The river flow even in late summer is fast and wide. His band of Indians took a major chance and risked their lives to cross this river in the spring.

There are over 100 sites of rock art in the canyon. The boat trip will get close to and point out one of the sites, which is on private property.

The lunch stop (food provided by the outfitter) is at the historic Kirkland Ranch. The ranch is open for a walking tour during the lunch break. Former Governor Len B. Jordan owned this ranch with his wife Grace. Mrs. Jordan was a former schoolteacher. Her book “Home Below Hell’s Canyon” (1954) tells about their life as sheep ranchers in the deep canyon of the Snake River.

Finally, 100 miles upstream from where the boat ride started, it’s time to turn around and jet boat back down the river to Lewiston. This is a premium family adventure on the Snake River in Idaho.