Hells Canyon Scenic Byway
— — a road that climbs out, then turns and watches.
Not only on a wall.
“The loop starts in Baker City, runs east through Halfway and Hells Canyon Dam, then turns north up the Imnaha country and across the Wallowas back to Joseph and La Grande. Forest Road 39 is the high middle, closed in winter. The byway is roughly 218 miles and pulls together more terrain than most state-long drives. — from the studio
Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is a 218-mile loop in northeastern Oregon, designated an All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration in 2000. It strings together Oregon Routes 86, 39, 350, and 82 through Baker and Wallowa counties, with the high middle running Forest Road 39 over the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The route touches Baker City, Halfway, the Hells Canyon Dam overlook, Joseph, Enterprise, and La Grande. Most travelers run the loop in two days; the high section, FR 39, typically closes from late October until June with snow.
The loop is a summer road. Forest Road 39 — the high middle that connects OR-86 near Halfway to OR-350 near Imnaha — usually opens in late June and closes again by the end of October, depending on snowpack on the Wallowa-Whitman. Before and after the FR 39 window, drivers can still run the southern leg through Baker City, Halfway, and Copperfield. Larch turn gold along the higher reaches in October. Wildflowers peak in the high meadows in early July.
Most travelers run the byway over two days, with a night in Joseph, Halfway, or Baker City. Gas stations are widely spaced: fill in Baker City, Halfway, Joseph, or Enterprise rather than counting on the smaller towns. Cell service drops out for long stretches, especially on Forest Road 39. The recommended counter-clockwise direction starts in Baker City east on OR-86 and finishes north through La Grande. The Hells Canyon Dam Visitor Center, at the end of the spur from Copperfield, is the only canyon-bottom access.