Special Delivery Hells Canyon Mail Boat Tour Takes Travelers Into Remote, Scenic Area

In 1912, E.G. MacFarlane piloted his 70-foot-long, twin-engine packet boat up the Snake River from Clarkston to provide the first regular mail, freight and passenger service to the rugged miners and ranchers of Hells Canyon.

For more than 80 years, this service has continued, but now anyone can go along for the overnight excursion and even participate in delivering mail addressed to residents of “Snake River Route.”

The mail-boat river tour is offered by Beamers Hells Canyon Tours and Excursions, which holds the contract for the U.S. Mail run.

Every Wednesday the Beamers captain navigates a jet boat filled with passengers, letters, bills and Walmart ads up the riffles and rapids of one of the most spectacular and remote rivers in the United States.

The passengers and captain overnight at Copper Creek Lodge (70 miles upstream from Clarkston), and complete the delivery route the next day, this time picking up return mail from residents who wish to respond immediately to the previous day’s delivery.

Though the trip is offered year-round, the winter route (November through February) provides two adventures for the price of one.

During this season, the mail is delivered between stops to cast for steelhead. You might think a cold-season trip like this is only for the exceptionally hardy, but I took my 5-year-old.

In the winter, the mail run starts at Heller Bar, a 45-minute drive upriver from Clarkston. Our first mail stop was just a few miles farther upstream.

Mailboxes are separated by miles of river, and often found at the foot of a rough trail. Ranchers or ranch hands sometimes arrive on horseback to await delivery, since this may be their only contact with another human all week long.

The ranchers move livestock to these lower elevations in the winter, increasing the number of stops from a summertime low of as few as eight. Summer residents include National Forest employees and others who work in the canyon.

But in the 1930s, hundreds of residents lived in the canyon and received mail. Evidence of their presence is abundant along the river.

The boat captains, well-versed in the river lore, can name each abandoned site and pass on interesting tidbits, like this “Temperance Creek” story:

“These two brothers, sheep ranchers, went to town on the trail with their mules to get their winter supplies. On the way back, over the Suicide Trail - a place where grown men sometimes crawled along on all fours, leading their horses behind them - one of the mules fell off the sheer trail and was never seen again.

“This happened to be the mule carrying the winter’s worth of whiskey. ‘It’s going to be a temperance winter,’ one brother told the other. And thus the name of their ranch: Temperance Creek.”

Other historic stops on the mail run include Kirkwood Ranch, a museum highlighting the life of the Jordan family, occupants of the ranch during the Depression. Len Jordan went on to become a governor of Idaho and then a U.S. Senator.

After delivering mail to the volunteer who maintains the museum, we wandered through the log bunk house, marveling at the displays of early canyon life.

It gets dark early during winter in the deepest canyon in North America. So friendly Copper Creek Lodge, complete with roaring wood stove and the aroma of prime rib, was very welcome after a hard day fishing and delivering mail.

Everything at Copper Creek, including building materials and furnishings, was brought in by boat - something to keep in mind when settling into your room. Though usually described as “cabins,” that term might be a bit too grandiose. I’d rather refer to them as “huts” to avoid raising expectations. The deep-canyon setting, combined with bright quilts and cozy propane heaters, goes a long way toward mitigating the fact that the rooms are tiny and rough.

The steelhead fishing is another reason to overlook cramped quarters. The boat captain knows every hole on the river and provides the necessary tackle. All the passenger needs is a fishing license. (Idaho is best, with a steelhead tag.)

After the guests cast their “Hot Lip Express” lures into the river, the boat captain “back-trolls” or faces the boat upstream and hovers over the best fishing spots. In the two days we fished, most of us caught at least two steelhead more than five pounds each.

Those not interested in fishing can bring binoculars and a sketch pad to enjoy the scenery, or snuggle up near the boat’s heater and devour a good book in a remarkable setting. (The best books to read in the canyon are books about the area, especially “Home Below Hells Canyon” by Grace Jordan.)

We were comfortable with a layer of long underwear under our jeans and fleece jackets. When a breeze came up, we added hat and gloves. We never needed the winter coats and backup layers we’d brought, but I wouldn’t go without them. Although weather in the canyon is notoriously mild, it’s better to overpack than to shiver.

With the quiet and isolation of winter, the delicate snow dusting the far-above piney ridges and the tawny grass lighting the steep canyon walls, this is one cold-weather trip I wouldn’t want to miss.

And the jet-boat ride, delicious food and friendly staff kept my 5-year-old happy. She loved being able to deliver the mail. Her favorite part, however, was her Mom catching the biggest fish.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go Historic mail boat tours are offered year-round by Beamers Hells Canyon Tours and Excursions (1-800-522-6966). The large, high-sided aluminum boats are powered by water jets, as opposed to propeller-driven boats. Jets allow navigation through rougher and shallower water. These boats travel at speeds up to 35 miles an hour. In summer, the two-day tour takes place on boats accommodating up to 46 passengers. In winter, eight-passenger jet boats are used. These allow for steelhead fishing from the stern. Both sizes have snap-in side windows and heaters to assure comfort. Trips leave every Wednesday. Summer trips cost $215 and leave from Clarkston. November through February, the trips leave from Heller Bar and cost $225. Though only Beamers offers the mail-boat run, other outfitters offer fishing charters or jet-boat excursions in the canyon. Call Clarkston Chamber of Commerce for a list at (800) 933-2128.