THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF HUMAN HISTORY

Snake River Adventures, LLC

Although Hells Canyon may feel remote today, people have lived, traveled, hunted, fished and gathered throughout this region for thousands of years.
The canyon contains an extraordinary collection of archaeological and cultural resources connected to the Indigenous peoples who have called this region home for generations.

Hells Canyon is particularly important to the nimíipuu (Nez Perce), whose traditional homeland encompasses a large portion of this region.
Archaeological discoveries provide evidence of people living in the greater Hells Canyon region thousands of years ago. One of the earliest firmly dated sites is a rock shelter near Bernard Creek, while other archaeological discoveries suggest people may have been present in the region much earlier.

Evidence of those who came before can still be seen at locations along the river.

One of the best-known examples is Buffalo Eddy, where ancient rock art remains visible along the Snake River. Images carved or pecked into rock are known as petroglyphs, while images painted onto rock surfaces are called pictographs.

These sites are culturally significant and provide an important reminder that the human history of Hells Canyon began thousands of years before modern settlement.