Driving the road along the Snake River through Hell’s Canyon has been on our wish list for many years, but for as many reasons it was something we were unable to fit into our travels. This was our year to do it, and it didn’t disappoint. For one thing, Hell’s Canyon is North America’s deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet, deeper than even the Grand Canyon.

The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River which flows more than one mile below the canyon’s west rim on the Oregon side and 7,400 feet below the peaks of Idaho’s Seven Devils Mountains to the east. Most of it is inaccessible by road, and to really see the canyon it’s best to do it by boat. Next time!

During the mid 1900’s when hydroelectric power was being heavily developed in the west, three dams were built to harness the power of the Snake River. Our route took us past the Brownlee Dam and the Oxbow Dam.

We ended our day in the charming town of Joseph, Oregon and stayed at the Wallowa Lake Lodge (our first night in a real bed for what felt like a very long time!) This lodge was originally built in 1923 and was owned by several families who each added value over their tenure until it went up for public aution in 2015. This inspired a local community push to keep it from ending up in the hands of a large hotel chain, and today there are over 100 investors who plan to keep the historic values of the lodge alive and well. We highly recommend it. Their dining room is also excellent and we enjoyed a delicious German meal that evening.