Event

Hells Canyon Jet Boat Tour

This coming Memorial Day weekend, the Idaho State Historical Society will sponsor a jetboat tour of the last 10,000 years of Idahos remarkable deep history in Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. Guided by State Archaeologist Dr. Ken Reid, we will visit examine petroglyphs and pictographs in the canyons rock art galleries, pause at the ancestral Nez Perce winter village at Redbird Beach, learn the secrets of the Cache Creek lawn and fig orchard, visit the site of the fishing lodge where the Lewis and Clark expedition replenished their stores before re-crossing the Bitterroots, examine the evidence for mining, ranching, and prehistoric salmon harvesting at Cottonwood Creek, and make the turn toward home above the Imnaha River at Dug Bar, site of the famed Nez Perce Crossing during their embattled flight to Canada in 1877.

The 50-mile (+) tour includes more than traces of a remarkable archaeological record. It also offers unique on the water perspectives of the canyons stunning geology and its abundant wildlife. Bighorn sheep, elk, deer, bears, otters, golden and bald eagles, and red-tailed hawks may be seen, perhaps even an occasional sturgeon nuzzling in the shallows. Geologic features range from traces of the cataclysmic Missoula and Bonneville floods to volcanic eruptions to evidence for an ancient coastline.

Join us for an Adventure in Preservation in Hells Canyon! Depending on the timing of the spring freshet, the river may be higher than normal. However, we will use a 40-person jetboat and none of the rapids will be higher than Class III.