Why is it called Hells Canyon?

The canyon didn't get its name from its depth, though. It was actually often referred to as Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon by early explorers. The name Hells Canyon is believed to come from the difficult and rugged journey through the terrain by boat.



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Of course, it's massively deep, too. From the top of the Seven Devils Mountains to the deepest part of the Snake River, Hells Canyon is nearly 8,000 feet deep. That's almost 2,000 feet deeper than the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona.

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The canyon didn't get its name from its depth, though. It was actually often referred to as Box Canyon or Snake River Canyon by early explorers. The name Hells Canyon is believed to come from the difficult and rugged journey through the terrain by boat.

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The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Tibet, a region of southwestern China, was formed over millions of years by the Yarlung Zangbo River. This canyon is the deepest in the world—at some points extending more than 5,300 meters (17,490 feet) from top to bottom.

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Arizona's Grand Canyon of the Colorado is acknowledged as the greatest of them all; it is not as deep as Hells Canyon, but it is wider, longer, more rugged, and far more colorful. Its depth is two to three times that of the Black Canyon.

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The “Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon” is the largest and deepest canyon in the world. The canyon reaches an average depth of 7,440 feet passing through the Gyala Peri mountains and the peaks of the Namcha Barwa.

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The geologic history of the rocks of Hells Canyon begins 300 million years ago with an arc of volcanoes that emerged from the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Over million of years, the volcanoes subsided and limestone built up on the underwater platforms. The basins between them were filled with sedimentary rock.

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The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway stretches for 22 miles and it gives you a stunning view of the canyon's rugged landscape. The feeling you'll get as you drive along the canyon's jagged walls is simply indescribable. Check out Idaho's most dramatic scenic drive and add this to your bucket list ASAP.

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Recreation Opportunities Access at some of the lower elevations along the Snake River are year-long. However at the higher elevations many trails remain inaccessible due to snow until late in the summer and become snowed covered in late October.

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Wildlife is abundant in Hells Canyon Wilderness. Black bear, cougar, elk, deer, mountain goat, chukar, and bighorn sheep are common.

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Most of the rapids Hells Canyon are classified as a Class III and Class IV, which means you're in for a wild ride and you're definitely getting wet. The two most intense rapids are at the beginning of the trip. Both are Class IVs.

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Hells Canyon is 8,000 feet deep in places. The average depth is more like a mile – 5,280 feet. At any rate, it is 9,393 feet elevation at He Devil Mountain in the Hells Canyon Wilderness of Idaho, and from 1,000 to 800 feet down on the river.

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Advisory: The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is usually closed by snow from late October through late May or early June and is not passable with motor vehicles.

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Hells Canyon Wilderness receives approximately 8 inches of rainfall each year and average annual temperatures range from 35 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to 100 degrees in summer. Most of this land is covered by Sonoran Desert vegetation: saguaro, paloverde, barrel cactus, ocotillo, and desert grasses.

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1. Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona and is one of the great tourist attractions in the United States. Carved over several million years by the Colorado River, the canyon attains a depth of over 1.6 km (1 mile) and 446 km (277 miles) long.

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The mystery of the Great Unconformity What's tricky about the Grand Canyon is that the rocks in its walls seem to be missing a big part of the picture. In 1869, a man named John Wesley Powell observed that several layers of rock that should've been in the Canyon walls were not present.

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