The 6,000-foot Hells Canyon is not only the deepest river gorge in North America, but it’s also a part of a huge recreation area that includes over 650,000 acres of wilderness, three Wild and Scenic rivers, and 900 miles of hiking trails.

Beamers Jet Boats

The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area sits along the border of Oregon and Idaho.  It’s extremely remote, and mostly roadless.  I’ve been wanting to get a look at the canyon for twenty years, so I was as excited as anyone to board the Beamers Tours jet boat in Lewiston, Idaho, where Captain Dan waited to guide us down the Snake River and into this rugged land that has remained mostly untouched for thousands of years.

Right from the start we spotted osprey, eagles, antelope, bighorn sheep, and even some old guy panning for gold. The kids had a blast with Captain Dan swerving back and forth along the river at an exhilirating 45mph. Along the way he pointed out unusual geological formations and a few pioneer homesteads, and even stopped to let us all get a close-up view of ancient petroglyphs that dated back at least 2,500 years.

Cache Creek Ranch

The turnaround point for the half-day tour we took is Cache Creek Ranch, where we had an hour to eat, lay in the grass, and watch the kids play. The Forest Service runs the ranch now as an interpretive center. While we lazed around, Captain Dan was down at the river catching smallmouth bass right and left.  The river is a fisherman’s paradise.

Even though this trip was just a taste of what the canyon has to offer, the kids absolutely loved it. They had no idea that just a few hours south of where they live is such a massive, and totally unique, wilderness area. There’s so much more to see and explore.

Wet and wild jet boat

You can choose to see the canyon in several different ways.  Traveling by jet boat is the easiest, and quickest.  Most tour operators offer half-day, all-day, or multi-day tours.  Hiking in is another option, with three major trails designated as National Recreation Trails.

If you’re looking for a rugged and remote wilderness that doesn’t feel overcrowded like some of our national parks, look into spending some time in Hells Canyon.  It’s a surprisingly short and easy drive from the large population centers of Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

All photos by Phil Corless

Ancient petroglyphs

Snake River

We are pleased to introduce our guest blogger, Lois Sealy, who runs a home exchange agency, Home Base Holidays, based in Great Britain and serving the world. We met because of a recent Kango blog on home exchange. Lois offers valuable insights into home exchanges in her blog and fosters home exchanges around the world through her website. In this brief post, Lois explains how you can improve your home exchange experience by giving detailed information on your interests in your exchange offer. Samples of just two of the many homes available for exchange are included to illustrate the topic.

Most home exchangers are very good at including information in their home exchange offers on attractions and activities available where they live. This is really useful as it helps potential home swap partners decide if the location, as well as the home, is likely to suit their needs and interests. It is also helpful to include information on your own interests and those of other family members. This will help those interested in your offer to tailor their exchange offer messages to you around your interests, needs or special requests.

Two members, both living on the West coast North America, joined almost simultaneously a few days ago and, as it happens, both not only provide excellent descriptions of their areas’ attractions but also give details of their own interests and thus, good clues to what they might like to do while on a home exchange. The first family live on the outskirts of Victoria, British Columbia, and the second, a retired couple, live in Eugene, Oregon:

“We are a very active family of four looking forward to our first house exchange. Don is the General Sales Manager of two local radio stations. He enjoys cheering on his favorite hockey team – The Canucks, gardening and hiking! Megan is a Financial Planner. She keeps busy away from work enjoying her many artistic projects. Tye, our oldest son, is in 10th grade. He is a passionate musician who is very active in the local music scene. Cory, our 15 year old is in grade 9 and spends his spare time perfecting his passion…magic. He works at a local restaurant on weekends performing close up magic! Our family is made complete with our quirky dog, Milo. Milo will be staying at Grandma’s when you visit.”

See the family’s attractive home exchange offer in the beautiful city of Victoria, BC, Canada.

“We are very active seniors, recently retired. My husband was an electrical contractor and I was an accountant. We are respectful of other people’s property and would treat your home with care. We love animals and would not mind caring for your pets, if you need it. We like to fish, go on walks, visit other countries and learn of different cultures. Our 3 bdrm house, with a large deck w/barbecue and view of local hills is located in a wooded area (deer munch on our flowers), yet just 15 minutes from downtown Eugene.”

See the couple’s exchange offer in Eugene, Oregon, USA

Both these profiles illustrate my suggestion about providing sufficient information about your family, home and the surrounding area to help the potential swap partner make a decision. For more tips, please visit Home Base Holidays.

Do have a home exchange story to share? Share your tips, stories and ideas about your home exchange experiences and your travels with us, we love to hear where you are going!

Related Information:
Home Exchange Blog
Home Base Holidays