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585:), diverse wildlife and miles of systems. There is one boat ramp that is located at the upper end of the Snake River. The wildlife is made up of over 350 species and this includes big game, small game, bird, and waterfowl hunting. Trophy hunting in this area consists of elk, mountain goats, mountain lions, mule deer, whitetail deer, and black bears. These key components make Hells Canyon an outdoor
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426:. Hunger and cold forced them to turn back, as also did many explorers who were defeated by the canyon's inaccessibility. There remains no evidence in the canyon of their attempts; their expedition journals are the only documentation. Early explorers sometimes called this area Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon.
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was discovered in river bars near present-day Hells Canyon
National Recreation Area, and miners soon penetrated Hells Canyon; however, gold mining there was not profitable. Evidence of their endeavors remains visible along the corridor of the Snake River. Later efforts concentrated on hard-rock
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mecca that brings in tourists from around the world. Hells canyon offers tours year round, while most of the whitewater activities peak in summer months. To participate in these recreational activities one can utilize commercial charters or private trips.
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In 1975, Congress had declared 652,000 acres (264,000 ha) to be the recreational area for the Hells Canyon
National Forest. There are many recreational activities available within the canyon. Activities in Hells Canyon include fishing,
616:, Hells Canyon Road follows the Idaho side of the river 22 miles (35 km) downstream to the Hells Canyon Dam. The road crosses the dam and continues another mile to the Hells Canyon Visitor Center on the Oregon side.
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353:. The Snake River began carving Hells Canyon out of the plateau about 6 million years ago. Significant canyon-shaping events occurred as recently as 15,000 years ago during a massive outburst flood from Glacial
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There are three roads that lead to the Snake River and they are located between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington state line. There are no roads that cross Hells Canyon. From Oxbow Bridge near
627:. Near the northern end of the canyon, Forest Road 4260 (Lower Imnaha Road), the last part of which is too rough for most cars, reaches the river at Dug Bar, 21 miles (34 km) from
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boom, but the weather was unsuited to farming and ranching, and most settlers soon gave up. However, some ranchers still operate within the boundaries of the
National Recreation Area.
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held up progress, but with the energy crisis, they were revived in 1975; these projects were sponsored by consortiums
Pacific Northwest Power Company and
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Two additional dams, Mountain Sheep and
Pleasant Valley, were proposed in 1955 above the mouth of the Salmon River and below the Hells Canyon Dam. The
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in Utah. The canyon contains dense forests, scenic overlooks and mountain peaks. At the bottom of the canyon, the area is a dry, desert environment.
452:. No one was held accountable. Groups of white men ambushed the Chinese gold miners because of an Anti-Chinese movement that made its way to Oregon.
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877:. Center for Study of the Pacific Northwest. History of Washington State & the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington
875:"Lesson Fifteen: Industrialization, Class, and Race: Chinese and the Anti-Chinese Movement in the Late 19th-Century Northwest"
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31:
631:. On the canyon rims, viewpoints accessible by road include Hat Point and Buckhorn in Oregon and Heavens Gate in Idaho.
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to build dams on the Snake River, including a high dam in Hells Canyon. In 1955, the commission issued a license to the
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mining, requiring complex facilities. Evidence of these developments is visible today, especially near the mouth of the
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to the east. This area includes 214,000 acres (87,000 ha) of wilderness. Most of the area is inaccessible by road.
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that emerged from the waters of the
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signed legislation to create the Hells Canyon
National Recreation Area and the projects
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The geologic history of the rocks of Hells Canyon began 300 million years ago with an
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Indians. The mild winters and ample plant and wildlife attracted human habitation.
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520:(MW) of electricity. The complex, which provides about 70 percent of Idaho's
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built up on the underwater platforms. The basins between them were filled with
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Recreation: Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest. Retrieved December 2, 2014, from
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in the 1930s through the 1950s, several entities sought approval from the
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1216:"Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Pittsburg Landing Campground"
1054:. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. 2 January 1976. p. 1.
900:. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. pp. 179–181.
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488:(RM) 285 or river kilometer (RK) 459, was finished in 1960.
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972:. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. pp. xxxv & xxxviii
810:. U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011
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on the walls of the canyon are a record of the Indian settlements.
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Public Power, Private Dams: The Hells Canyon High Dam
Controversy
1256:, fifth edition. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
422:
expedition explored Hells Canyon while seeking a shortcut to the
808:"Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Geology of Hells Canyon"
430:
342:
709:"Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Establishment of HCNRA"
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tours, hunting, hiking, camping, and whitewater sports (mainly
782:"Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: Hells Canyon Overview"
494:, twelve miles (20 km) downstream, was finished in 1972.
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The three dams have a combined generating capacity of 1,167
967:"Environmental Impact Statements (EISs): Executive Summary"
556:
The first river runners were on the canyon rapids by 1928.
512:, 26 miles (42 km) below Oxbow, was completed in 1967.
919:. Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Archived from
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Farther north on the Idaho side, Deer Creek Road connects
1125:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/wallowa-whitman/recreation
1036:. (Idaho). Associated Press. 2 January 1976. p. 16A.
853:"Hells Canyon National Recreation Area: The Human Story"
1141:
United States
Department of Agriculture Forest Service
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The earliest known residents in Hells Canyon were the
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at 7,993 feet (2,436 m), running deeper than the
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The early miners were next to follow. In the 1860s,
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1271:, third edition. Seattle: The Mountaineers Press.
1186:"Idaho's Scenic Byways: Hells Canyon Scenic Byway"
1095:(4th ed.). Detroit: Gale/Cengage Learning.
911:
909:
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855:. Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture
828:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
672:. United States Geological Survey. June 21, 1979
1252:Orr, Elizabeth L., and Orr, William N. (1999).
577:). Much of these activities rely on the mighty
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1162:"Hells Canyon Outfitters | Riggins, ID 83549"
8:
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476:to build a three-dam complex in the canyon:
1293:. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
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387:. Others tribes visiting the area were the
306:The canyon was carved by the waters of the
641:Hells Canyon Wilderness (Oregon and Idaho)
414:entered the Hells Canyon region along the
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1355:Nasa Earth Observatory view of the canyon
1385:Canyons and gorges of Washington (state)
1018:(photos, maps). (Washington). p. 8.
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1012:"Dams are in plans along Middle Snake"
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646:List of plants endemic to Hells Canyon
291:. It is North America's deepest river
271:, located along the border of eastern
1067:"Hells Canyon Fifty-Year Anniversary"
784:. U.S. Forest Service. Archived from
711:. U.S. Forest Service. Archived from
541:Washington Public Power Supply System
441:In the 1880s there was a short-lived
287:which is also located in part of the
285:Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
7:
1091:Deirdre S. Blanchfield, ed. (2011).
106:
73:
1400:Landforms of Wallowa County, Oregon
1010:Coe, Gordon H. (24 February 1975).
991:Coe, Gordon H. (24 February 1975).
735:"Hells Canyon, National Geographic"
670:Geographic Names Information System
532:fish upstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
27:Canyon in the western United States
743:. 15 February 2013. Archived from
543:(WPPSS). At the end of that year,
537:Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968
25:
279:, and a small section of eastern
1390:Landforms of Idaho County, Idaho
1370:Landforms of Adams County, Idaho
1192:. State of Idaho. Archived from
1137:"Hells Canyon Creek Boat Launch"
1065:Husk, Lee Lewis (16 July 2018).
263:is a ten-mile-wide (16 km)
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289:Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
410:In 1806, three members of the
1:
1269:Exploring Oregon's Wild Areas
1267:Sullivan, William L. (2002).
1190:Idaho's Scenic Byways website
1166:www.hellscanyonoutfitters.com
993:"Power project plans revived"
89:Show map of the United States
86:Location in the United States
32:Hells Canyon (disambiguation)
1375:Canyons and gorges of Oregon
1380:Canyons and gorges of Idaho
1343:GPX (secondary coordinates)
740:National Geographic Society
1416:
1289:Brooks, Karl Boyd (2009).
1093:Environmental encyclopedia
999:. (Washington). p. 1.
896:Nokes, R. Gregory (2009).
460:After completion of large
412:Lewis and Clark Expedition
54:flowing through the canyon
29:
1338:GPX (primary coordinates)
1313:Map all coordinates using
283:. It is part of the
200:Asotin County, Washington
59:
44:
1321:Download coordinates as:
1048:"Ford signs canyon bill"
1034:Lewiston Morning Tribune
480:The first of the three,
470:Federal Power Commission
336:North American continent
1071:1859: Oregon's magazine
1016:Spokane Daily Chronicle
997:Spokane Daily Chronicle
767:. Pocket Outdoor Media.
765:Hells Canyon Wilderness
763:Lanza, Michael (2007).
456:Damming the Snake River
603:
602:from Pittsburg Landing
524:, blocks migration of
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312:Seven Devils Mountains
232:45.37139°N 116.63833°W
194:Wallowa County, Oregon
1333:GPX (all coordinates)
1218:. U.S. Forest Service
1030:"Ford signs NRA bill"
596:
501:
450:Hells Canyon Massacre
368:
345:, which smoothed the
269:Western United States
1239:Sullivan, pp. 268–76
923:on November 22, 2008
374:through Hells Canyon
237:45.37139; -116.63833
30:For other uses, see
18:Hells Canyon (Idaho)
788:on December 6, 2010
715:on December 3, 2010
697:. World Book. 2018.
614:Copperfield, Oregon
474:Idaho Power Company
228: /
188:Idaho County, Idaho
182:Adams County, Idaho
917:"Hells Canyon Dam"
898:Massacred for Gold
623:, to the river at
604:
506:
376:
1299:978-0-295-98912-9
1254:Geology of Oregon
1102:978-1-4144-8739-7
947:www.nwcouncil.org
747:on April 7, 2020.
625:Pittsburg Landing
621:White Bird, Idaho
583:Pacific Northwest
420:Wilson Price Hunt
258:
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125:Show map of Idaho
16:(Redirected from
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674:. Retrieved
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482:Brownlee Dam
464:dams on the
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416:Salmon River
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349:into a high
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297:Grand Canyon
261:Hells Canyon
260:
259:
119:Location in
113:Hells Canyon
80:Hells Canyon
40:Hells Canyon
1395:Snake River
1247:Works cited
976:26 December
579:Snake River
548:Gerald Ford
405:petroglyphs
401:Pictographs
391:, northern
379:Inhabitants
370:Snake River
308:Snake River
235: /
223:116°38′18″W
210:Coordinates
52:Snake River
1364:Categories
1171:2021-05-07
952:2021-05-07
652:References
587:recreation
560:Recreation
530:anadromous
528:and other
486:river mile
462:hydropower
347:topography
281:Washington
275:, western
220:45°22′17″N
166:Washington
1111:720592930
545:President
518:megawatts
492:Oxbow Dam
328:limestone
135:Geography
1076:21 March
881:12 March
824:cite web
635:See also
598:Jet boat
575:kayaking
567:jet boat
571:rafting
372:winding
361:History
351:plateau
318:Geology
301:Arizona
267:in the
244:
140:Country
1297:
1275:
1260:
1109:
1099:
607:Access
526:salmon
397:Cayuse
393:Paiute
340:basalt
273:Oregon
265:canyon
175:County
160:Oregon
148:States
1146:7 May
970:(PDF)
484:, at
293:gorge
277:Idaho
253:Snake
249:River
155:Idaho
121:Idaho
1295:ISBN
1273:ISBN
1258:ISBN
1224:2010
1202:2010
1148:2021
1107:OCLC
1097:ISBN
1078:2019
978:2010
929:2010
883:2007
861:2010
830:link
816:2010
794:2010
721:2010
678:2010
573:and
431:gold
403:and
395:and
343:lava
1328:KML
299:in
1366::
1232:^
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