Hell's Canyon
| Hell's Canyon | ||
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 The Snake River on its way through the canyon |
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| location | Idaho , Oregon (USA) | |
| Waters | Snake River | |
| Mountains | Wallowa Mountains / Seven Devils Mountains | |
| Geographical location | 45 ° 22 ′ N , 116 ° 38 ′ W | |
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| length | 250 km | |
The Hells Canyon (dt. " Hell canyon ") is with 2438 meters the deepest canyon in North America carved by a river. Most of it is located in the US state of Oregon , right on the Idaho border. It is designated as a large-scale recreation area under the name Hells Canyon National Recreation Area .
Over a distance of about 250 kilometers, the Snake River dug this gorge over millions of years. The canyon is bounded as the boundary between the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, orographic left, and Seven Devils Mountains in Idaho, orographic right. The area is not crossed by any road; only three spur roads lead to the canyon.
Due to the great distances from canyon rim to canyon rim - on average about ten miles - the gorge is not as spectacular a sight as the less deep Grand Canyon . The Snake River also doesn't have as many tributaries as the Colorado River , which is why the canyon area is not as branched out as in the Grand Canyon.
The geological features of Hells Canyon include the basalt formations on the rocky slopes of the lower Snake River. These are remnants of volcanic lava that covered the Pacific Northwest about 174 million years ago .
The canyon was founded in 1975 as a protected area by the type of National Recreation Area dedicated and part of it again as a wilderness area . The protected areas are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service .
swell
- ↑ Hells Canyon overview (in English)
- ↑ Geology of Hells Canyon (in English)
