Hells Canyon by Jet Boat

Since 2019, neither rain nor sleet nor snow has prevented the U.S. Postal Service from delivering mail to people living along the Snake River in the remote and rugged regions of Hells Canyon.

Last Wednesday was no different, when 20 of us boarded the mail boat in Clarkston for the 160-mile round trip.

We pushed off the dock at the Port of Clarkston on a beautiful, sunny day, and were expertly guided through some of the most rugged and scenic landscape the country has to offer, by Riverboat Captain Tyler Bezett and his skipper, 16-year-old Kison Fletcher, who work for Beamer's Hells Canyon Tours.

"Hells Canyon is hotter than hell, and hell to navigate," said Capt. Bezett, who is certified by the US Coast Guard for inland navigation.

Temperatures can reach as high as 112 degrees during the summer months, and just the weekend before this one, it rained so hard in the canyon that the windshield wipers failed to keep up, he said.

The mail boat is a jet boat, which has no rudders or propellers to protrude into the water. There are intakes near the stern to scoop up water, and hydraulic pumps to hurl the water aft, for propulsion. Steering is by way of adjusting the direction of nozzles.

Yes, there were moments of living on the wild side on this ride, but Capt. Bezett kept a watchful eye on rapids, boulders, and other boaters, as he pointed out the wildlife and various points of interest along the way.

On the trip we saw big horn sheep, deer, bald eagles, pelicans, osprey, wild turkeys and coyotes. Capt. Bezett would turn the boat completely around, so we could see really well, even to look at a squirrel swimming across the river.

We passed a place at Buffalo Eddy where 1,700-year-old petroglyphs are carved in the rocks. We pushed on past Anatone Flat, the place where some farmers decided to build a wooden pipe, or flume, to send the grain down from the hilltops to a barge on the river. Unfortunately friction in the flume started a fire, and both the flume and grain burned.

"It ruined the farmer's 'pipe dream,'" said Bezett with a laugh.

We cruised past the site where Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, successfully forded the river with his band of 3,000 people and 1,000 horses while fleeing the U.S. Cavalry in 1877. At Deep Creek, Capt. Bezett pointed out the site of an 1887 massacre of 34 Chinese miners by some would be gold thieves.

After delivering mail to seven lonely outposts on the river, we stopped for a sack lunch under the trees at the Kirkwood Historic Ranch, which was once a working cattle and sheep ranch.

We made our last mail delivery of the day three miles downriver from the ranch, and then turned around and headed back towards Clarkston.

Four of us were staying overnight at the Copper Creek Lodge, which is on the Oregon side of the river. We got off the boat there in midafternoon, where we were greeted by our camp host, John.

Rustic is the one word that applies to this 1940's era lodge – clean, quiet, good eats, and no cell phone service - just what the doctor ordered.

Copper was once king in Oregon, and there are several old copper mine shafts above the lodge. Apparently one of the caves is now occupied by bats, and we were warned not to hike the trails around the lodge because of rattlesnakes. We had wild turkeys roosting in the trees at night, and there were mule deer nearby.

Capt. Bezett, and his Thursday tour group, called for us midafternoon the next day, and we headed back to Clarkston, our journey over.

If you take this delightful trip, be sure to take snacks with you. It is a long time from breakfast until lunch is served at the Kirkwood Historic Ranch. If you stay overnight at the Copper Creek Lodge, take games and books with you. Remember there is no cell phone service.

Unless you love the heat, rain, or snow, plan your trip for June or September, when the weather is more amiable.

Finally, enjoy the wild and scenic Snake River and the deepest river carved gorge in North America, with its many treasures. We did.