5.3 hr
Overview
The Snake River National Recreation Trail #102, on the Idaho side of the Snake River in Hells Canyon , takes you to the Kirkwood Ranch, a lush complex of historic interest and respite for both river rafters/boaters and hikers alike. There's a campground with flush toilets here as well as a picnic area, so you have a choice of backpacking in or simply day hiking. Before Euro-American settlers arrived, members of the Nez Perce camped, hunted, and fished in the area, Kirkwood being one of the high bars created by sediments from the Missoula (Bretz) Floods at the end of the last Ice Age. Dr. Jay Kirkwood arrived around 1880 and his family's tenure was succeeded by a series of other owners. The buildings here, one of which is a museum, display the artifacts and history of settlers in the area. This trail has much more traffic during the Idaho spring break, so you might want to avoid that time frame. In addition, be aware that the bottom of Hells Canyon can get extremely hot in late spring and during summer. There is no shade to speak of.
Trail Stats
15.8 km
514 m
491 m
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Photos
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