Hells Canyon better than its name

What is the deepest canyon in North America?

Most people would say the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but actually it is Hells Canyon on the border between Oregon and Idaho -- by almost 2,000 feet.

Hells Canyon boasts a maximum depth of 7,913 feet to the maximum depth of 6,093 feet for the Grand Canyon.

Yet it is the Grand Canyon that is well traveled and in a national park, while Hells Canyon is little known, seldom visited and remote.

Grand Canyon is wider at 18 miles to the 10-mile width of Hells Canyon, and longer at a whopping 278 miles to the 125 miles of Hells Canyon.

But give Hells Canyon its due.

The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area has plenty of boating and rafting opportunities on the Snake River below, plus hiking and outstanding views from such places as the Hells Canyon Overlook on the Oregon side.

Hells Canyon is more tree and grass covered with rolling hills as viewed from the top, while the Grand Canyon has more exposed rock and a more dramatic drop.

How to get there:

The Hells Canyon Overlook can best be accessed on the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, a group of roads in northeast Oregon that form a loop that can be made in less than a day.  Or, if you prefer, the loop can be broken up by either camping or staying in one of the small towns along the way.

Both ends of the loop start on Interstate 84 going southeast bound out of the Portland area (and Interstate 82 from Washington) or northwest bound out of Idaho.

Highway 82 starting in La Grande, Ore. makes up the northern portion of the loop and Highway 86 from just above Baker City, Ore. makes up the southern portion.

Follow the signs for the Hells Canyon Overlook off of Forest Service roads 39 and 3365 near Hells Canyon to make the connection between the two portions.

The closest sizeable towns are Enterprise, Ore. at 52 miles away in the north and Halfway, Ore. at 33 miles away in the south.

The address is NF-490, Imnaha, OR 97842.

The entire loop is 218.4 miles long.

Boat trips are accessed out of Lewiston, Idaho.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.