We depart early for the ride to Riggins, Idaho.
Our morning ride takes us along along U.S. Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway. This 80 mile section of highway is some of the most wild and scenic country you’ll ever experience. The two lane road follows the Lochsa River and eventually converges with two other rivers; the Selway and Middle Fork of the Clearwater. Trips on both the Lochsa and Selway rivers are world-class whitewater adventures for rafters and kayaks with dozens of raft-bashing rapids.
Our ride continues south where we arrive at “White Bird Hill”; located along the eastern edge of the Seven Devils Mountains, home of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Hells Canyon is a 10 mile wide canyon located along the border of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho. It is North America’s deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet (2436 m). The canyon was carved by the waters of the Snake River and plunges more than a mile below the canyon's west rim on the Oregon side and 8,000 feet below the peaks of Idaho's Seven Devils Mountains range to the east. The area is inaccessible by road.
At the top of White Bird Hill we have a spectacular panoramic view of the Salmon River Canyon below. From here it's a steep, crooked, gorgeous descent, down the highway grade to White Bird junction. Only the truckers hate the 2,700' drop in eight miles. The descent past the tiny town of White Bird takes us into the Salmon River valley.
White Bird Hill is where the first battle of the Nez Perce War was fought in June 17, 1877 While attempting to resolve their problems peacefully, two shots from a volunteer's rifle ended the parlay. This resulted in a sharp clash between the Nez Perce bands and the U.S. Army Cavalry. Thirty-four soldiers were killed while the Nez Perce Indians lost none. There is an Interpretive Shelter along Highway 95 that overlooks the Battlefield and explains the sequence of events that day.
The old White Bird road can be seen to the left as we descend the grade. It was considered an engineering feat in its day as it zigzagged 2,900 feet gaining 4,429 feet in elevation in 14 miles. Convict labor helped construct the road. Paved in 1938, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was bypassed by the newer Hwy. 95 and now has little traffic. Time permitting and enough brave souls, we may choose this road and rejoin the highway at the bottom.
We follow the Salmon River south to Riggins, which will be our stop for the day. The Salmon River, also known as the “River of No Return” originated near Stanley, Idaho where we spend our first evening and continues north from here to join the Snake River on its trek to the Pacific Ocean.
A mid day arrival in Riggins provides us the opportunity to relax and change into our swimming gear in preparation for the afternoon river rafting trip on the Salmon River.
After a fun filled afternoon on the river, we return to the hotel to relax, enjoy an evening dinner and settle in for the evening.