I'll spare you the long detailed report (unless you want to go read it on my blog). So here are the highlights of our trip.
We camped at an Idaho Power campground called Hells Canyon Park. On Tuesday we hiked up Eckels Creek, picked up the Kinney Creek Trail, then dropped back down on the Allison Creek Trail, completing the loop with a mile-long road hike back to the truck. It was still pretty green and we saw a lot of wildflowers. There was also a lot of poison ivy, and we had heard there were a heck of a lot of ticks too, but we only saw one the whole hike and neither of us got bitten. Quite a lovely hike!
On Wednesday, upon the advice of our campground neighbors (a very nice and friendly couple from Boise), we drove up the Kleinschmidt Grade. As we gained elevation we entered a ponderosa forest. The road was in great shape. A little steep and narrow in spots, but quite drivable. The last few miles on the spur to the Lynes communication tower was definitely rougher. So worth it, though! The views were spectacular!
After hanging out up there for awhile (it was hard to leave), we drove back down into the canyon then drove downstream to the Hells Canyon Dam. There is a little visitor center on the Oregon side and a riverside trail downstream of the dam (also on the Oregon side). There was a ton of poison ivy on this trail, but it was otherwise a pleasant hike. Very cool to see the un-dammed Snake River here.
Back on the Idaho side we took the Deep Creek Stairway down alongside the dam to river level. I hoped the stairway had recently passed a safety inspection!
On Thursday morning we woke up bright and early and broke camp. We picked up Road 39 and headed north. There had been some doubt as to whether this stretch of road would be open. Fortunately it was snow-free and tree-free. We saw LOTS of fallen trees that had been cleared to the side of the road. We took a slight detour to check out the Hells Canyon Overlook. It was overcast with bad light, but we could still see the views.
From Road 39 we turned onto Upper Imnaha Road. I didn't realize this, but that road is lined with many farms and ranches. Despite this, it was quite a pretty drive. In May it's all still quite green, and the river was gushing with snowmelt.
We were gawking at the scenery and driving slow and finally got to the Freezeout Trailhead at 10:20. We hiked up to Freezeout Saddle on what turned out to be more an equestrian trail than a hiking trail. It had been churned up by horses and then dried in the sun into an uneven trail tread. We got lucky and hit the bloom right at its peak. The wildflowers were great! And once we got to the saddle, the views were great too.
From the Saddle we hiked nine more miles, heading south on the Western Rim National Recreation Trail, then back to the trailhead via the Freezeout Creek Trail. We hit snow. Long stretches of the trail were a crumbly chewed-up mess because of the horses.
On Friday before heading home we visited Zumwalt Prairie. We drove the very pretty (and very rough - good thing we had the truck because the Outback couldn't have made it) 676 road, then we hiked up the Canyon Vista Trail where we saw views, wildflowers, and elk! After the hike we drove over to the Duckett Barn Information Center, which is a collection of interpretive panels with information about the preserve.
