America West: Hell's Canyon Scenic Loop Drive, Oregon

The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is a 218-mile loop encircling the Wallowa Mountains, intersecting with Interstate 84 at La Grande and Baker City. Extremes in the land define this Byway and have likewise shaped the region's cultural history. At the eastern edge of the Byway is the Hells Canyon stretch of the Snake River, North America's deepest gorge. It boasts hair-raising rapids, awesome rock formations, and many signs of the indigenous peoples that once called this vast area home.

At the core of the Byway are the Wallowa Mountains whose jagged, snowcapped peaks are reminiscent of the Swiss Alps. Millions of years ago, the Wallowas formed the coast of present-day Oregon. Flows of plateau basalt, batholiths of granite, and layers of shale were buckled and folded to form the mountain range we experience today.
South and west of the Wallowas, the bountiful Grande Ronde Valley unfolds. Once a spring and summer gathering place for members of the Umatilla, Yakima, Shoshone, Walla Walla, Cayuse and Bannock Nations, the valley is now a rich agricultural center, hosting fields of hay, wheat, grass, mint, and canola as well as cattle, sheep, and horse farms.

The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway winds through the northeast corner of Oregon, taking in the craggy 8,000 foot depths of Hells Canyon and the 10,000 foot peaks of the Wallowa Mountains. Along the way, one will encounter exceptionally scenic country and fascinating cultural history in the ancestral homelands of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians.

Hells Canyon Overlook ... The paved overlook, a short drive on Forest Road 3965, which rests at 5,400 feet, provides outstanding views of McGraw Creek, Hells Canyon, and the Seven Devils Mountains which stand at the Idaho border. The Overlook features interpretive displays about the canyon formation.