bonifaciod549
I happen to take a vacation and visited the Grand Canyon. I came back telling everyone about my adventure and all the tings that I got to see and someone told me about our own Hells Canyon right here in our back yard. Hells Canyon is deeper that the Grand Canyon and you can take tour boat into the canyon right from Clarkston, WA or Lewiston, Idaho.Now that I have visitors and friend drop by we always take a tour of our Hells Canyon and brag about it. It is a beautiful place and a fun way to spent the evening or a few days exploring the canyon.
blackcat06
Captain Bill was very informative and took time to answer any questions. We had expected bigger rapids, still it was fun going over them in both directions coming and going. This was an all day excursion with l lunch provided. After reading other reviews I was concerned about the lunch. There was no need. The sandwich was filling and the lunch came with chips, trail mix and a cookie. both of us found it very satisfactory and after all, we were not here for the lunch. it was fun to see the rafters coming down the river and the fishermen along the way. The stop at the Kirkwood Sheep Ranch was a step back into the past. I highly recommend this excursion if you like scenery, history and a good boat ride.
LizLuton
The boat trip is exciting and it is great staying in the wilderness! We stayed at Copper Creek overnight, and were very fortunate in the man in charge. He was an excellent raconteur, a good cook and very knowledgable about the wildlife.
stephpatx
The original reservation of this individual was secured on March 26th 2014 by Beamers Hells Canyon Tours for a September 8th departure date. At that time the person who scheduled the reservation was notified by the reservationist that they were the first scheduled guests and that our tours do have minimum passenger requirements. They also received a written reservation confirmation that states:“A minimum of 14 passengers is required for a tour departure, calling prior to your trip date to confirm your departure is recommended. Tours with less than 14 passengers are subject to cancellation.” It should also be noted that this group was actually a party of 2 on our Full Day Tour a separate party of 4 scheduled on Half Day Tour. Both received written confirmations stating our minimum passenger requirements. Beamers Hells Canyon Tours gives a courtesy call to any guests who are scheduled on board a tour that has not met the minimum passenger requirement 7 days prior to their departure date to discuss their options with them.Beamers Hells Canyon Tours takes every opportunity we are given to assist passengers with their needs including finding another outfitter by providing contact information for both the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Hells Canyon Visitor Bureau who both have access to all the licensed outfitters and guide river tour schedules in our area. We are not always given that opportunity, such as in this instance where the client took it upon themselves to notify the other individuals in their party and we did not actually get the chance to speak to them personally about how we could assist them further with meeting their needs.
OlyCat
The jet boat isn't new or posh, but what fun! I'm not the 4 day rafting trip on the river type, so this 10 hour trip was eagerly anticipated. I hoped to see places I couldn't drive to, wildlife and to get a little wet. All this an much more happened. Our pilot shared interesting historical tidbits, stopped for wildlife viewing and pictures, and generally kept us entertained as we "flew" up the river at 30 to 40 mph. It was early August, extremely hot and in spots, the remnants of wildfires were on both sides of the river, a sobering view of mother nature run amok. The whole trip covered just under 200 miles and is an experience I will not soon forget. I would recommend it to anyone.
TunaJunkieJohn
The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is 652,000 acres of mostly uninhabited diverse landscape. Lightning caused wild land fire for the Big Cougar Fire was first reported by the Bureau of Land Management on August 2, 2014 and consumed 65,000 acres before being contained. There are presently 5 other fires with varying degrees of acreage burned and containment scorching the landscape of Hell Canyon. There are 3 free flowing rivers-Grande Ronde River, Salmon River and Imnaha River that confluence the Snake River. The combination of a barren landscape and heavy rain which was received on August 13th and 14th made for easy distribution of sticks of all sizes including logs and other river debris to accumulate in the Snake River. This information is readily available to any individual that would like to inform themselves through the websites of the US Forest Service and the Wallowa Whitman National Forest.Our jet boats operate with 900 horsepower Cummins Marine diesel engines coupled up to two Hamilton Jet pumps. The water makes the power by drawing up from the bottom of the hull where the intake grates are located and propels it out the back pushing the vessel forward. When anything including sticks and other river debris are sucked up and can not pass through the grates they reduce the power of the vessel. Your captains main objective was to get your vessel up and running and was proactive to getting the vessel moving again which he did successfully. Beamers Hells Canyon Tours apologizes if you felt that the lack a lengthy description, the passing out of snacks and beverages and an apology was appropriate before he disembarked. Everything that is included in our tour is specifically detailed on our website including each lunch item in the sack lunch, what beverages are served and the fact that guests are welcome to bring their own personal size cooler onboard to supplement what we include with their own beverages and snacks or lunch of their choice. It should be noted at this time, of the 37 passengers onboard your negative review is the only one received from your trip and while gratuities are totally at the customers discretion, your captain and his deckhand who is not uninformed and "brand new" ended their day with cut hands and knuckles, wet feet and soiled clothes, all elements of what can be expected to keep their vessel operating and as close to on schedule as possible so that passengers who are scheduled onboard with us, many who have travelled great distances to do so can experience their river trip. No tip? Shame on you. Beamers Hells Canyon Tours does not hide the fact that our tour is a remote wilderness experience. You are travelling where no roads go, where cell service is non existent and satellite phones are reliable only in certain locations, if the satellite is available at the time a call is placed. In a remote wilderness setting where practically anything can happen and with no communication... for some... this experience is too remote.
513daleg
Thank-you for your kind words, we sincerely appreciate you being our customer and look forward to welcoming you onboard with us again!
Strider97116
There are several factors that contribute to Beamers Hells Canyon Tours being unable to accommodate guests who arrive at our tour departure dock without advance reservations. The most current up to date information including general information, fare prices, tours ect can be found on our website where it states "While you may occasionally be able to join a tour on short notice, space is limited. We cannot accommodate walk-on guests at our tour departure dock without an existing reservation." We are sorry that a local hotel gave your incorrect information on our behalf and feel that it is very unfair of you to give our company the lowest rating possible. Especially when one of our employees did make every attempt to assist you with a Hells Canyon tour options with another vendor. Thank-you for helping us let other guests know that Beamers Hells Canyon Tours can not accommodate guests without existing reservations showing up at our tour departure dock expecting to board.
patroo
Beamers Hells Canyon Tours has no control over the non-motorized use days in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. When you click on the general information tab of our website you will find information about fares, what to bring, making reservations and special considerations where we provide information about your feedback. When you click the All Day Tour tab we describe our lunch in detail...self serve coffee, tea-ice tea, lemonade and fruit punch at of our climate controlled riverfront Heller Bar Lodge. Your sack lunch includes deli sandwich with condiments, potato chips, pack of trail mix and pack of granola bars, ice tea and lemonade are served at our Copper Creek Lodge. Guests are more than welcome to bring their own personal size beverage cooler and snacks if they have heartier appetites or personal dietary restrictions. As for historic Kirkwood Ranch, this facility is owned and maintained by the US Forest Service. They do not provide a dock for private or commercial vessels so we must disembark at this location from the bow of our tour boats. Both our Heller Bar and Copper Creek Lodge are accessible to the physically challenged. Generally speaking when guests who are physically challenged call to make their reservation, or come into our main office, as long as they let us know of their special needs we make every effort to inform them of what to expect.
NancyD537
Wow. What can I say? This was an unforgettable trip! Captain Bill Campbell was exceptionally knowledgeable about the river, the geology, the Nez Perse tribe, Lewis & Clark, and all the wonderful history of the canyon. I would go again just to try to retain some of the amazing history & stories that Captain Bill had to share. this was a 4 star trip. I will go again! Must add that there was an elderly woman who required some assistance at the stops, the Captain & crew (Mike) were very professional and gave her all the help she needed to enjoy the cruise. A bucket list trip!
DIANNAR22
Very scenic ride 10 hour trip up the Snake River. We went over Memorial Day week-end so water was very high so few rapids but the benefit was the hills were green which happens for only a short time of the year. Captain was extremely knowledgable and shared the history of the canyon. Took lots of great photos.
641lindad
Thank-you so much for being our loyal customer. Beamers Hells Canyon Tours sincerely looks forward to welcoming you onboard with us again.
leighmcd
This rip starts at The Port of Clarkston and travels up the beautiful Hell's Canyon. The driver is very knowledgeable and informative about the history of the canyon.The only negative was the lunch. For the price of the tour I would expect more than a roll with a slice of meat and cheese, chips and a cookie. I noticed that one of the boat tours that stopped near us had quite a spread for lunch.
SallyP677
Our captain was very professional and a wealth of information about the history of the area, our weather was perfect that late September day, and we saw some remarkable scenery. When we saw a black bear and longhorn sheep on the banks, he gave us ample opportunity for photos. I would highly recommend this experience. Even the deli lunch we were served at lunchtime was filling and tasty. Because it was late in the season, we were only able to travel 77miles of the normally 90-mile trip and still get back before dark, but we did not feel shortchanged at all.
jameshS368QH
Beamers Hells Canyon Tours would like to clarify that our tour boat did not run aground.