The Owyhee River carves narrow canyons of sheer rhyolite and basalt walls hundreds of feet deep into the sagebrush and grassland high desert sprawling over southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. An area four times the size of Yellowstone, it’s the loneliest corner of the Lower 48. It’s hard just to get there because of the few, bad roads. Check out the canyons of the Owyhee in this slideshow. Then read my story about our eight-day, 82-mile kayaking descent of the upper Owyhee River, where we saw just one other kayaker, on our last night, a couple miles before the takeout.
Put-in at Deep Creek.
Deep Creek, Owyhee Canyonlands.
Deep Creek campsite.
Above Deep Creek.
Above Deep Creek.
Deep Creek.
Deep Creek.
Deep Creek.
Campsite on the East Fork Owyhee River, in eastern Oregon.
Campsite on East Fork Owyhee River.
View from camp on East Fork Owyhee River.
East Fork Owyhee River boulder jam.
East Fork Owyhee River boulder jam.
Lambert Gorge, East Fork Owyhee River.
Owyhee Falls portage, East Fork Owyhee River.
Owyhee Falls portage, East Fork Owyhee River.
Camp below Owyhee Falls.
Thread the Needle, East Fork Owyhee River.
Thread the Needle, East Fork Owyhee River.
East Fork Owyhee River.
East Fork Owyhee River.
East Fork Owyhee River.
Bald Mountain Canyon, Owyhee River.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Rescuing blown-away kayak.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Cabin Rapid, Owyhee River.
Cabin Rapid, Owyhee River.
Above the Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Five Bar Ranch, Owyhee River.
Owyhee River Canyon.
Owyhee River Canyon.