He/She Devil sit on the eastern side of Hells Canyon in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Hells Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America, contrary to the common belief that the Grand Canyon is. He Devil officially rises with no intervening saddle or mountains from the canyon bottom 8,043 vertical feet. While there is a 5,632' vertical drop from the Oregon side.
It has long been claimed that Hells Canyon is the deepest gorge in the United States. Unfortunately that is only true if one measures from the highest summit to the surface of the water at the bottom. If you include the depth of the water, Lake Chelan in Washington is deeper than Hells Canyon.
"Pyramid Peak: Deepest Gorge The Grand Canyon is about a mile deep. Kings Canyon, in California, is about 7800 feet deep. Hells Canyon, claimed to be the deepest, as measured from the top to the bottom, eight miles away at the Snake River, is about 8200 feet deep. But if you walked three miles straight out due east from the top of Pyramid Peak (8245 feet), and then looked down into the Lucerne Basin (386 feet below sea level); you'd be looking into the deepest gorge in the United States (8631 feet). Peering through the additional 1500 feet of water makes visualizing this immense chasm difficult, but no less real or impressive."
Note that the horizontal distance from bottom to top at Hells Canyon is about eight miles, while in this Lake Chelan example, it is claimed to be about three miles (actually around 4 miles). Also note that Pyramid Mountain is by no means the highest peak overlooking the lake. Though farther away from the Lucerne Basin than Pyramid, Star Peak, on the other side of the gorge, is 8690 feet high, adding 445 feet to the 8,631 feet mentioned in the quote, for a gorge 9,076 feet deep.
Klenke - Apr 22, 2005 4:01 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentThanks. I have incorporated your info (changed some syntax).
IdahoKid - Apr 22, 2005 12:18 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentHe/She Devil sit on the eastern side of Hells Canyon in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Hells Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America, contrary to the common belief that the Grand Canyon is. He Devil officially rises with no intervening saddle or mountains from the canyon bottom 8,043 vertical feet. While there is a 5,632' vertical drop from the Oregon side.
Klenke - Apr 22, 2005 4:01 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentThanks. I have incorporated your info (changed some syntax).
Bob Bolton - Jul 6, 2005 12:15 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentIt has long been claimed that Hells Canyon is the deepest gorge in the United States. Unfortunately that is only true if one measures from the highest summit to the surface of the water at the bottom. If you include the depth of the water, Lake Chelan in Washington is deeper than Hells Canyon.
Here is an analysis from Gorp on this subject (see item 21):
"Pyramid Peak: Deepest Gorge
The Grand Canyon is about a mile deep. Kings Canyon, in California, is about 7800 feet deep. Hells Canyon, claimed to be the deepest, as measured from the top to the bottom, eight miles away at the Snake River, is about 8200 feet deep. But if you walked three miles straight out due east from the top of Pyramid Peak (8245 feet), and then looked down into the Lucerne Basin (386 feet below sea level); you'd be looking into the deepest gorge in the United States (8631 feet). Peering through the additional 1500 feet of water makes visualizing this immense chasm difficult, but no less real or impressive."
Note that the horizontal distance from bottom to top at Hells Canyon is about eight miles, while in this Lake Chelan example, it is claimed to be about three miles (actually around 4 miles). Also note that Pyramid Mountain is by no means the highest peak overlooking the lake. Though farther away from the Lucerne Basin than Pyramid, Star Peak, on the other side of the gorge, is 8690 feet high, adding 445 feet to the 8,631 feet mentioned in the quote, for a gorge 9,076 feet deep.