The Seven Devils – on a clear day

I found these photos online at Wikipedia:

The_Seven_Devils_from_Dry_Diggins_Lookout

(Photo credit: Adam Vogt)

Seven_Devils_Panorama_edit

(Photo credit: Adam Vogt)

So my advice would be – if you plan to visit Hell’s Canyon, and you definitely should, do it before the start of wildfire season.  Snow can keep roads near the observation points closed until late June so I would suggest visiting in early to mid July.  No guarantees, of course.  Mother Nature can be very fickle.

I also heard on the radio this morning that the Pioneer Fire in 2016, which ravaged an area I drove through yesterday, kept burning until snow arrived in the winter.  So visiting in the Fall may not be a good idea, either.  Early summer is probably best.

And I would definitely recommend that you plan to stay for at least a week, especially if you enjoy hiking.  This is the first venue I have visited in the past 2 1/2 years for which I seriously underestimated how long I needed to stay.  The roads are typical mountain roads with lots of twists and turns, are often gravel, and probably contain rocks and potholes which further slow your time in traversing them.

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After visiting Heaven’s Gate I drove further north to get a closer look at the Snake River.  I’ll post those pictures tomorrow.