Snake River and Hells Canyon

Snake River

The Snake River is the main river in the greater Pacific Northwest of America. It is the major tributary of the Columbia River, with the length of 1,735 km (1,078 miles). The Snake River is the largest river in North America, which drains into the Pacific Ocean. Rising on the western side of the State of Wyoming, the river runs through the Snake River Plain followed by the rolling Palouse Hills and rocky Hells Canyon to arrive at its entrance at the Tri-Cities of Washington State. The drainage basin of the Snake River includes parts of six states of the United States, and its mean discharge of water is more than 54,000 cubic feet per second (1,500 cubic meters per second).

Hells Canyon

Hells Canyon is a 16-km (10-mile) wide gorge, which is situated along the border of eastern parts of Oregon, eastern side of Washington and the western part of Idaho in the United States of America. It is a fraction of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and is the deepest river canyon in North America, with a depth of 7,993 feet (2,436 m). Hells Canyon was shaped by the Snake River waters that runs in excess of 1.6 km (1 mile) below the western border of the canyon on the side of the state of Oregon and 7,400 feet (2,300 m) below the mountains of the Seven Devils Mountain range of the state of Idaho to the east. The majority of the area is unreachable by road.

History of the Snake River

As lately as 165 million years ago, most of western parts of North America were still a division of the Pacific Ocean. Almost, the entire Farallon Plate subduction beneath the westward-moving North American Plate shaped the Rocky Mountains, were driven by the rising magma ensnared between the North American plate and the sinking Farallon plate. While the North American Plate stirred westwards over a motionless hot spot below the crust, a chain of terrific lava runs and volcanic outbreaks shaped out the Snake River Plain before 12 million years ago on the western side of the Continental Divide. Even superior lava floods of the basalts of the Columbia River were issued over the eastern side of Washington, shaping the Columbia Plateau in the southeastern part of Columbia and the Palouse Hills in the minor Snake. The volcanic activity was formed separately in the northwestern part of the plain, a region that is far away from the course of the hotspot that currently lies below the Yellowstone National Park. At this position, the watershed of the Snake River was beginning to get shaped.

History of Hells Canyon

The earliest recognized colonists in Hells Canyon were the Nez Perce ethnic group. Other ethnic groups visiting the region include the Shoshone-Bannock, Cayuse Indians and the Northern Paiute tribe. The gentle winters, and plenty of plant and flora and fauna attracted human occupancy. Petroglyphs and Pictographs on the walls of the canyon are the evidence of the Indian settlements.

Recreation in Snake River and Hells Canyon

There is an abundance of entertaining activities, such as camping, fishing, hunting, jet boat tours, hiking, and whitewater sports to do in Hells Canyon. Many of these entertaining activities count on the powerful Snake River, which is the major factor in the formation of Hells Canyon. The Snake River is an abode to many fish species, a profusion of category I-IV rapids, different wildlife and miles of track systems. These key elements make Hells Canyon an outside amusement Mecca that brings travelers from all parts of the world.