Hell’s Canyon Overlook, Oregon
Situated off the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, the Hells Canyon Overlook provides a dramatic panorama of Hells Canyon and the Seven Devils Mountains.
Hells Canyon is a 10-mile wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and western Idaho in the United States. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and is North America’s deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet. Even though it is technically deeper than the Grand Canyon, there does not seem to be any vantage point accessible without a 4 by 4 vehicle that makes that obvious.
The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River, which flows more than 1 mile below the canyon’s west rim on the Oregon side and 7,400 feet below the peaks of Idaho’s Seven Devils Mountains range to the east. Most of the area is inaccessible by road.
The last 30 miles of the road leading to the Hell’s Canyon overlook are curvy, mountain roads with 100 foot drop offs and no guard rails. To test your reflexes on this road, they throw in occasional rocks and wandering cattle (it’s open range).
On the way back to town, I stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretative Center.
