Jeep Drive into Snake River Canyon

Hi Blog!

Yesterday, we learned a great deal about the Nez Perce Indians, who once lived near the Wallowa River. If you are curious, you can click the link and read our blog On The Trail of the Walwama. During our research, we learned the Walwama band of the Nez Perce fled their homeland next to the Wallowa River in the hopes of reaching sanctuary in Canada rather than being forced onto a reservation in Idaho.

In 1877, Chief Joseph led 800 Nez Perce men, women and children, along with 2,000 horse and other live stock on a perilous journey. Their route to Canada would take them to Idaho, where they would meet up with other bands of Nez Perce on their journey to Canada. To get to Idaho, the Nez Perce had to cross the Snake River. The only safe crossing was at an area we know today as Dug Bar.

We had picked up a brochure entitled "Experience the Nez Perce Trail." We were curious if we could follow the Nez Perce Trail in our area. The brochure is divided into three sections, "Mainstream Traveler," "Adventurous Traveler" and "Rugged Traveler." (Note that some roads along the Rugged Route can be impassable during periods of inclement weather and on these routes you may not encounter other travelers for hours or days.)

One of those "Rugged Traveler" routes was along the Imnaha River to Dug Bar where the Nez Perce crossed the Snake River into Idaho. The 25 mile dirt national forest road follows the Imnana River all the way to Dug Bar.

On Sunday, April 21, 2019, we began our journey down the Imnaha River Valley toward the Snake River.

We thought we would be following the Imnaha River down the valley, but we soon found ourselves high above the valley floor.

The volcanic layers are easy to see from this vantage point.

We were surprised to find cattle ranches all along the 25 miles of rugged road.

As we drove along, we couldn't help but think if we had been miraculously transported to Ireland instead of Eastern Oregon.

After winding our way along precarious cliff faces, we finally made it back down to the Imnaha River.

Spring has sprung in the Imnaha Valley and young calves challenged us all along the road.

The Nez Perce retain fishing rights on the Imnaha River. We stopped to stretch our legs at one of their fishing camps. The fishing weir is used to count the number of fish making their way up stream.

We have to leave the Imnana River Canyon, as the river cuts a narrow path through volcanic basalt. We begin to make our way up and over the Wallowa Mountains down to the Snake River Canyon,

After a very rough eight miles, we finally get our first glimpse of the Snake River.

To see what we saw, click the link to the video view of the Snake River Canyon at Dug Bar.

It is still possible to hike a five mile portion of the original Nez Perce Trail. If we had more time, we would have loved to walk in the footsteps of Chief Joseph and his followers.

About a half-mile from the Snake River end of the Nez Perce trail over the ridge, we entered the Dug Bar National Historic Park.

The flat bench above the river contains historical ranching structures dating from the early 20th century. Horses graze along the banks of the river.

From the banks of the Snake River we look upstream to the area known as Hells Canyon.

Dug Bar was a traditional crossing point for the Nez Perce. In the late summer, after water levels traditionally drop, it was a relatively safe place to cross the river. Unfortunately, Chief Joseph's people were forced to cross the Snake River at the end of May when it was flowing high and fast with the spring runoff. Conditions were ripe for disaster. Women, children, the elderly, and all of the band's possessions crossed the churning river on horsehide rafts pulled by swimming horses. Several thousand head of horses and cattle were also forced to swim the river, with considerable losses. 

As we walked along the banks of the Snake River, we encountered... a snake!

After lunch, we began our 25 mile journey back to civilization. We found this quail trying to cross the road.

We also saw a number of turkeys who were too shy to have their photo taken. However, this deer was more than happy to pose for us.

There is no way to describe how incredible this journey had been. The road was literally cut out of the side of the mountain.

To reward ourselves for a journey well done, we stopped at the tiny Imnaha Store and Tavern. As luck would have it, the new owners had just taken possession. We enjoyed chatting with them and wished them well with their new (to them) establishment.

If the weather improves, we hope to be able to kayak on Wallowa Lake tomorrow. Stay tuned.