This trip is planned in partnership with Iconic Adventures, whose trip leaders will be joining you alongside Earthjustice and local experts.

(Marc Toso)

Looking out on the Bears Ears landscape from within a cliff dwelling.

Fly into the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport (LWS) where your Iconic Trip Leader will meet you at baggage claim. You will be transferred by private shuttle to Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston, our base for the next two nights. Relax and unpack before meeting the group for a welcome reception. We’ll receive an overview of the coming days and go through a round of introductions, including our Earthjustice hosts, fellow travelers, and Stacia Morfin of Nez Perce Tourism, LLC.

Today, we are meeting with members of the Nez Perce Government Body’s Law & Order Subcommittee. Following breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, we’ll travel to the Dworshak Dam & Reservoir and Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. The Nez Perce Government Body recently acquired the management rights of both places. Members will give us a comprehensive tour, explaining the impact dams have on salmon and steelhead migratory patterns and the importance of taking them down.

Earthjustice and our coalition of partners are engaging with congressional leaders to remove four outdated and expensive federal dams. If successful, the river restoration project would result in 5,500 miles of pristine salmon-spawning habitat – a critical salmon incubator in the lower 48 states.

Following some downtime back at the hotel and dinner, the group will meet with our OARS river guides for a thorough trip orientation, previewing how to pack your provided waterproof bags and what to expect over the next three days.

This morning, we’ll pack our bags for our departure from the Lewiston airport on a short charter flight to Halfway, OR with Gem Air for our river departure. An appropriate introduction to our journey ahead, this flight offers a spectacular bird’s-eye view of our pathway through Hells Canyon and is considered by many to be a highlight of the trip.

We’ll then meet our guides at the designated starting point for our three-day, two-night river trip down the Snake River. Over the coming days, you’ll travel 31 miles on the river on a fully outfitted canoe trip accompanied by experienced guides, Earthjustice staff, and a member of the Nez Perce Tribe.

A typical day on the river includes opportunities for fishing and hiking while learning about the cultural and environmental significance of the surrounding region. As we make camp each night, the guides will set up the kitchen and “living room” - the site for the night’s campfire and evening discussions – while you enjoy a satisfying feast. After dinner and discussions, the evening is yours to spend however you wish: sharing stories, stargazing, reflecting by the fire, and more.

The second day of the trip is an exciting whitewater day, culminating in two of Hells Canyon’s biggest rapids: Wild Sheep and Granite. As the roiling rapids give way to more gentle stretches, the group may stop and hike up Granite Creek or viewing Indigenous pictographs or perhaps float down to Bernard Creek for a hike to McGaffee Cabin – a homestead preserved from the 1900s – and panels of pictographs.

This section of the Snake River also offers excellent trout fishing. During periods of calmer water or during lunch, the anglers in the group will have great opportunities to cast their lines in deep pools.

Relish your last breakfast in the wild before packing up camp as we head to the takeout point.

Before exiting the river, you have another exciting morning of activities! The whitewater action continues with rapids and areas of the river great for swimming. The group will also visit Kirkwood Historic Ranch and Museum, which speaks to the lifestyle of Hells Canyon’s inhabitants in the 1930s and features extensive Indigenous artifacts. Further downstream, you’ll see lodge rings, petroglyphs, and other artifacts still remaining on the shore from peoples that prospered for thousands of years along the Snake River.

We’ll share Snake River stories and laughs before taking out at Pittsburg Landing. You’ll receive a jet boat ride back to Lewiston with Nez Perce tribal members before returning to Hells Canyon Grand Hotel the final evening. You’ll find our luggage in your (new) room and you can take the afternoon to soothe your muscles in the hot tub, enjoy a refreshing shower, and rest.

This evening, we’ll reflect on a wonderful week and toast to those memories over a communal, traditional Nez Perce meal.

Breakfast will be available at the hotel this morning. After breakfast, airport transfers will be coordinated based on flight times.