Imnaha is one of my favorite towns. It is truly at the end of the road. Well, at least at the end of the paved road. It nestles protected from the elements (according to the locals) at the bottom of a deep ravine. The road falls three thousand feet from the high desert plateau at Joseph to the confluence of Sheep creek and the Imnaha river. From here one gravel road winds up the Imnaha river and another hugs the river down to the Snake. The road to the Snake washed out about 1996 but I suppose they have rebuilt it by now.

Another treacherous road winds up into the sky on its way to Hat Point. The awesome view begins about two feet from the passenger side of your rig and tumbles steeply into the Imnaha canyon and beyond. Glennette would not look until I stopped the truck on a switch-back so that is where she took the pictures.

You might need your 4x4 to make it to Hat Point lookout, but the rewards are substantial. From your 6982' high vantage point you can look down at the Snake River and Hells Canyon about one mile below. With the Seven Devil mountains of Idaho towering beyond the vista is awesome. (Somewhere I will have to tell you about rafting Hells Canyon--there is a reason for the name--but I can't do it here).

The Imnaha store, the primary establishment in town, also serves as a restaurant and bar. You can buy a good hamburger there and get a glass of cold beer. The locals and tourists mingle and the talk is always interesting. The locals spin on about the mild winters and the bear and cougar problem and the tourists complain about the pace of life in the big city.

The proprietor vows to sell out some day and you can be invited to the party. It takes some practice, but you write your name and address on a dollar bill, wrap it around a quarter dollar and a thumb tack and throw it at the ceiling until it sticks. From the number of dollars stuck to the ceiling I sense it will be a big party. We are still waiting for our invitation and the proprietor seems to be doing well.

Going back stop at the fish trapping station on sheep creek a few miles out of Imnaha (your could have stopped going down, but you did not know about it then). The state traps steelhead and salmon here. The eggs are harvested and sent to other hatcheries for rearing. The smolt are returned for stocking. Sometimes the operator is there and he will give you the whole story.

Yes, there are dollar bills stuck to the ceiling of the Imnaha store and tavern, and yes, some of them used to belong to Glennette and myself! I know it is tough to make money in a place like Imnaha, but really!

The post office is across the street from the store and restaurant. The little white sign in the left window has a list of times when someone might be there. Behind the post office is the Imnaha river. It is 24 miles to Hat Point and the first 12 climb about 5000 feet!

Big Sheep Creek flows into the Imnaha river at the town site. Note that white water is prevalent. Sheep Creek has a Salmon and steelhead trapping and holding facility about 10 miles upstream on the road to Joseph. The eggs from the captured fish are taken elsewhere for hatching and rearing and returned here for release. Trace the map from here to the Pacific ocean and you will be astounded at the tenacity of these fish.

The locals say the high mountains protect the town from winter's cold winds. Most folks here carry a gun when they get off the road. Bear and cougar are plentiful.

This is a view from the road to Hat Point, the one without a guard rail, or even much of a shoulder. No wonder that Glennette was a little jumpy! We stopped at a switch-back to take this photo.

This shot is taken from Hat Point. Far below the Snake River winds down Hells Canyon. You have to look closely because it is over ONE MILE below Hat Point. Looking up and to the right from here one sees the Seven Devils mountain range in Idaho (I have to find the picture!). On the day we visited Hat Point the Avalanche lilies were blooming solid yellow across the meadows.

Well, there is nothing slow about me. I took this pictures of the Seven Devil peaks in Idaho in 2005, and here I am