Up the Snake River into Hell's Canyon

We took a motorized boat --jet boat--tour up the Snake River from Clarkston Washington to Hell's Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America (7.993 ft). The river was wonderfully reflective as we left Clarkston. 

It was early April. The hills were greening, the trees leafing out. 

The geology of the Snake and Columbia Rivers is spectacular. Basalt columns lined the riverbanks. 

basalt columns

a closer look at the basalt columns

At the beginning there were houses along the river.

The hills were often grazed to smoothness

Sometimes the shore formed eroding cliffs

The houses along the river became scattered and isolated. The Snake here is the border between Washington and then, as we went farther south, it was Oregon on the west with Idaho to the east. Pretty soon it was national forest on both sides.

Here a osprey had a nest on an old pole 

As we got into Hell's Canyon, the banks became very steep

You have to look carefully, but this hillside, less grazed, has bright yellow flowers. Those are balsamroot (Balsamorhiza) a native spring wildflower.

the yellow dots are clumps of balsamroot, Balsamorhiza

The canyon narrowed

Shrubs, probably willows (Salix) in the water close to the shoreline

Tumbled rocks coming down and into the river

The view ahead becaome ever more dramatic:

We didn't nee much wildlife, buzzing along in the boat as we were, but we did spot a small herd of mountain sheep:

And finally, to a spot where even the spring flow was a bit shallow, and we turned around:

Looking back at the narrowed canyon as we turn back north

Kathy Keeler

A Wandering Botanist

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