EXPLORE NORTHEAST OREGON
THE HELLS CANYON SCENIC BYWAY

TOWNS & COUNTRY

Follow the route by clicking the section headers or click on the community and attraction names below:

GRANDE RONDE VALLEY TO WALLOWA VALLEY

Beginning in the patchwork farm lands and hillside orchards of the broad Grande Ronde Valley, the first leg of the Byway follows numerous rivers through ever-higher valleys to the glacier-carved Wallowa Mountains. Each small town along the way offers a different character, a different combination of services.

HELLS CANYON & THE SNAKE RIVER

follow Highway 86 from the junction of the Forest Road 39 to the Snake River and on to Hells Canyon Dam. The river is designated Wild and Scenic below the dam. You looked down into the canyon from the overlook, now see the imposing canyon walls from water's edge up! Services at Pine, Oxbow, and at river's edge include lodging, dining, groceries, gas, and shuttle service. Recreational opportunities include rafting, jetboat riding, camping, fishing, and hiking in the nation's deepest river gorge.

PINE VALLEY TO BAKER VALLEY

Gold strikes brought the first settlers here in the late 1800s. Mines employed large numbers of people, including many Chinese laborers. Further along the route follow the Powder River up stream through rolling sagebrush-covered plateaus. Oregon Trail routes cross your path. Virtue Flat, near Baker City, is the site of a popular off-highway vehicle trail complex.

Learn more by following these links:

Halfway
Richland
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Baker City