RIVER OF THE MONTH
30 YEARS
Snake River
Draining a vast swath of the American West, the Snake is the largest tributary to the Columbia River and is itself a collection of some of the country’s greatest streams, including the Blackfoot, Salmon, Selway, Clearwater, Owyhee and Grande Ronde. Surprisingly, only 67 miles of the river are designated Wild and Scenic, the stunning stretch that flows through Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America.
Why It Matters
Fish
Once home to some of the greatest fish runs in the world, the Snake’s surviving salmon and steelhead swim some 900 miles and through a gauntlet of dams to reach spawning grounds in Idaho and Wyoming. The river supports 35 native fish species in all, including spring and fall Chinook, summer steelhead, westslope cutthroat, redband and rainbow trout and sturgeon. KIRK ANDERSON
JIM MAYA DIANE HIGDEM
SHELLEY TATTAM
Although the lower river is hobbled by four massive dams, the Snake still manages to support a remarkable diversity of native fish that are critical to the ecological health of the West. Snake River salmon and steelhead accomplish one of the longest anadromous journeys on Earth, nourishing a landscape that extends from Idaho’s high divide to the Pacific Ocean. It courses through vast wilderness and roadless areas and provides boundless recreation opportunities for people.
Wildlife
From bighorn sheep to wolverine, the mammals that rely on the Snake are as diverse as the basin’s terrain. The largest, and perhaps most imperiled mammal of all, is the southern resident orca whale, an endangered killer whale population that relies almost exclusively on the Snake River’s salmon. The basin is home to a remarkable 274 species of birds.