White Bird ID and the Hells Canyon Jet Boat Ride – Need I Say More?

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Monday, July 3, 2017 found me heading north to White Bird ID to ride the jet boat through Hells Canyon in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. My journey began northbound on ID 55, the Payette River Scenic Byway – a road I had traversed in a southerly direction from Banks ID on Wednesday of the previous week and had intentionally omitted from my list of scenic drive options during my week in Boise ID. After the short drive to Banks, everything was “sight unseen.” For almost the entire drive on ID 55, I was accompanied by some variation of the (adjective) Salmon River, adjectives being Big, Little, Middle, South, etc. There were two long sloping up grades as well as the requisite accompanying down grades. The first three-quarters of the drive was saturated with both deciduous trees and conifers. The accompanying waterways looked great for rafting, kayaking or fishing. All the small villages along the way seemed loaded with “Fourth of Julyers,” but McCall was packed like the proverbial sardine can. ID 55 ended in New Meadows ID where I picked up US 95 to White Bird. In this general area, the landscape changed dramatically. Instead of dense vegetation, my treat was unique geologic formations and rock coloration – as well as the ever-present whitewater stream.

(Informational) Irene, my GPS, was spot on and brought me directly to Killgore Adventures. The Ram was spot on and gave me 10.2 miles per gallon, pulling in the hills. ‘Twas a very good travel day. The RV park, cabins and office are located in White Bird, but the boat dock is some 17 miles away. I checked in and, since I’m staying only the night before and the night after the jet boat ride, selected a shady unassigned site that was long enough for the truck/trailer combo. Because I would have my fifth-wheel still hooked to my truck, I opted to ride the shuttle to the boat dock. The fly in the ointment was that my satellite couldn’t get TV reception, and I had no (Verizon) cell or Internet service. No problem as I had plenty to do – like write this and the Boise blogs!

Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, a 652,488-acre portion of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, was established by Congress on December 31, 1975 and hosts the deepest canyon in North America. The canyon stretches 10 miles wide from rim to rim, and its elevation varies from 1480 feet at the waters of the Snake River in Hells Canyon to 9383 feet at the peak of He Devil in the Seven Devil (averaging 5500 feet below the rim for some 75 miles). The Snake River defines the Oregon-Idaho border for a length of 71 miles. Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity dam that impounds the Snake River in, ta dah, Hells Canyon Reservoir, and the powerhouse contains three generating units totaling 391 megawatts in capacity. The dam is the third and final hydroelectric dam of the Hells Canyon Project which includes Brownlee Dam (1959) and Oxbow Dam (1961). The Hells Canyon Complex is the largest privately owned hydroelectric power complex in the nation. All three dams were built by and are operated by Idaho Power Company.

The 17-mile shuttle ride – ten miles up the 8000-foot hill and seven miles down the other side to Hells Canyon and the Snake River – is worth the drive even if you only happen to be passing through the area; however, I wouldn’t recommend it for anything longer than a pop-up tent trailer or for very low-clearance vehicles. Boys and girls, that’s a 1 ½-mile drop – greater than the Grand Canyon – and the seven miles was not the distance down the hill but was the serpentine distance, back and forth along the side of the hill. Steep doesn’t even begin to describe the road. Fortunately, according to the shuttle driver, the road is wider and better groomed today than it was in days past. Oh, yes, we saw a small herd of elk both going and coming. Shortly after leaving the RV park, Uncle Larry remembered that he had forgotten his probably-fully-charged-by-now camera! By the time the jet boat ride was over, I had decided my forgetfulness might have saved my camera from ruination. You can enjoy some of the pictures from Kilgore Adventures Wild River Tour Gallery.

Captain Kurt (Killgore) and shuttle-driver-turned-deck-hand, Russell, provided interesting narratives and answered questions completely. We were told the trip from Pittsburg Landing to Hells Canyon Dam would be 32 miles and that the two most severe rapids were running at Class V that day. The rapids vary with the Snake River’s flow which is determined by the discharge at the dam. A hotter day, more electricity demand (air conditioners), more discharge to turn the generator turbines faster. Makes sense to me. For more information on and photographs of the rapids, see the American Whitewater website.

Our first stop was the Kirkwood Ranch Museum. The museum building was closed for renovation, but the “stretch your legs a spell” opportunity, the outdoor exhibits and the flush-toilet restrooms were all available. As I exited the restroom, a Blue Racer snake slithered across the concrete slab in front of me, and (after I and most of the others were back on the boat) someone spotted a huge (according to Russell) Diamondback rattlesnake which he (as some army general might say) neutralized expeditiously with a stick and a knife. I suppose the path to and from the boat tie-up area is not a good place for a venomous snake to call home.

We traversed several small, Class III rapids before reaching a point where Captain Kurt stopped the boat mid-stream and announced everyone needed to don a life preserver before we hit the two Class V rapids, Granite Rapids and Wild Sheep Rapids. Everyone was expecting to get wet, but not so much. Shortly after the Class Vs, we arrived at the Hells Canyon Dam and the National Park Service Hells Canyon Creek Visitor Center. Everyone selected a box lunch and a drink (drinks were available throughout the trip) as we disembarked. We were given an hour to eat, view the canyon and visit the NPS facility. I spent most of my free time watching the well done NPS movie about Hells Canyon. By the way, the visitor center is accessible by car from the Oregon side of the canyon.

Shortly after returning to the boat, we redonned the life preservers; however, this time Captain Kurt did not ride the crests of the rapids, he dove the nose of the boat into the eddies created by the swirling whirlpools. I was sitting in the fifth row from the front and got half soaked – my back was dry! Sometimes, on what appeared as an evenly flowing part of the river, Captain Kurt would suddenly decelerate whereupon the stern of the boat would lift (and the bow drop) and another drenching would occur. After the first soaking, I was glad I had forgotten my camera; by the 7^th or 8^th, I was damn glad I had forgotten. Along the way, we spotted some Bighorn Sheep, and Captain Kurt paused for admiration and photographic opportunities. The critters were as nonchalant as they might have been on exhibit in the zoo. According to Captain Kurt, Bighorn Sheep are seen almost every trip and black bear are seen about every other trip. Shortly before arriving at Pittsburg Landing, we made a 15-20-minute stop at a sandy beach where swimming was an option. Most stayed on the boat and watched the antics of the rafters and kayakers (as well as some of our own) as they frolicked in the awesome Snake River.

Captain Kurt told me he had been running jet boat tours for 15 years and that this was an average trip. The drama and the adventure varies with each ride and is mostly dependent on the volume of flowing water. In addition to the jet boat trips, the cabins and the RV Park (and tent camping), Killgore Adventures also offers hunting and fishing expeditions. Out of curiosity on the return shuttle, I asked shuttle driver Russell about fuel consumption. He responded that a trip like ours would consume 70-80 gallons of fuel.

Hells Canyon lacks the majesty of Grand Canyon but is very pretty in a different way. The jet boat trip through the rapids was a first-of-a-kind for Uncle Larry. This attraction is some distance from any major attraction, city or Interstate Highway and most logically requires an overnight stay the night before the boat ride. A second night stay depends on one’s destination and available time. I had a great time, will not soon forget the experience and will recommend it for those who have never had a similar experience. What an outstanding way to say, “Happy Birthday, America!!!”

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Photos

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #1
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID

Shade Is a Double-Edged Sword
Hells Canyon Jet Boat Trips and RV Park – White Bird ID

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #2
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #3
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #4
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #5
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID

Scenic Photographic Opportunity #6
Along the Route from Boise ID to White Bird ID