Seasonal conditions
All year — best April-October; canyon heat in July-August is real, ride mornings.
ROUTE
Hells Canyon Byway — Lewiston to New Meadows on US-95
The deepest gorge in North America from the ridge: 238 km of US-95 descending White Bird’s canyon grades, following the free-flowing Salmon through Riggins and climbing the Seven Devils country to New Meadows.
scenic-road238 km5 hmoderate
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Adumbvoget" title="User:Adumbvoget">Adumbvoget</a> / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
ABOUT THIS ROUTE
The route in detail
US-95 through western Idaho is the state’s big-mountain ride: from Lewiston the highway dives and climbs through the White Bird battlefield canyon — Nez Perce history under every switchback — drops to the Salmon River at Riggins (the rafting capital), then climbs through the dry Seven Devils approaches to New Meadows. The scale is western: canyon walls deeper than the Grand Canyon’s, a river that runs wild, and long empty grades that make every mile a riding mile.
US-95 through western Idaho is the state’s big-mountain ride: from Lewiston the highway dives and climbs through the White Bird battlefield canyon — Nez Perce history under every switchback — drops to the Salmon River at Riggins (the rafting capital), then climbs through the dry Seven Devils approaches to New Meadows. The scale is western: canyon walls deeper than the Grand Canyon’s, a river that runs wild, and long empty grades that make every mile a riding mile.
PLAN RESPONSIBLY
Season & safety
Key hazards
- Sustained grades with hairpins at White Bird — brake discipline.
- Summer canyon heat over 100°F.
- Log and freight trucks on the narrow grades.
- Deer on the river flats at dusk.
Required gear
- Certified motorcycle helmet and full protective riding gear.
- Hydration for the canyon stretches.
- Fuel in Lewiston, Riggins and New Meadows.
WAYPOINTS
Route points
- 01
White Bird — the 1877 battlefield overlook
waypoint
- 02
Riggins — the Salmon River rafting capital
waypoint
MAP & ROUTE
On the atlas
Elevation1,304 m high point341 m low point2,532 m total climbing16% steepest stretch (km 174.3)
DESTINATIONS
Places on this route
Hells Canyon & the Salmon River
The deepest gorge in North America — 7,993 feet of basalt and sky above the Snake River — and the Salmon, the longest free-flowing river left in the lower 48.
North Central Idaho
Lewiston & Clarkston
Twin river cities at Idaho’s lowest point — where the Clearwater meets the Snake and the gateway to Hells Canyon opens.
North Central Idaho
INTERESTS
Why riders & travellers love it
WEATHER
Weather along the route
Forecast data from Open-Meteo. Updated regularly.
REGIONS
Explore the region
KEEP EXPLORING
The atlas continues
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