Hells Gate State Park
Welcome to Hells Gate State Park
How does a jet boat ride up the Snake River in one of North America's deepest canyons sound? Or reeling in a steelhead fish, picnicking under shade trees on the banks of the river or a leisurely bike ride on the Clearwater and Snake River trail? Hells Gate State Park has all this to offer and more.
Quiet and grassy campsites along the shores of the Snake River await campers at Hells Gate. The park is situated at the lowest elevation in Idaho. At just 733 feet above sea level, the long season of warm weather gives rise to Lewiston's reputation as Idaho's Banana Belt.
Hells Gate lies on river bottom left over from the great ice age floods about 15,000 years ago. At the south end of the park are basaltic columns from the Pomona flows 14 million years ago. Hells Gate State Park was once the site of a Nez Perce Village. Little is left of the village, but depressions south of the campground are the remnants of pit houses used for years by the Nez Perce as they fished for lamprey near Astoin Creek.
Amenities
Flush toilets, showers, dump station, electricity
Boating
Ramp, marina, docks
Activities
Camp, picnic, hike, mountain bike, cycle, fish, boat, swim, water sports, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, jet boat trips into Hells Canyon
Groups
Group shelters, camp, amphitheater, conference rooms
Trails
Hike, bike, horse; hard path
Wildlife
Steelhead, smallmouth bass, catfish, trout, sturgeon; waterfowl, pelicans, herons, swans, deer, otter, bighorn sheep
Learn
Lewis and Clark Discovery Center (with displays, movies about Corp of Discovery and Nez Perce Tribe), Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage Education Center
Nearby
ATV trails, golf, hang gliding, hot air ballooning, helicopter tours, Nez Perce history, outfitted fishing and hunting trips, national recreation areas and trails
Rent or buy
Rent kayaks, purchase gifts, souvenirs and disc golf supplies for purchase at Visitors Center Nature Store
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