The Seven Devils Mountains

The Seven Devils Mountains extend along the Idaho/Oregon border for roughly 40 miles between the Idaho towns of Whitebird and Council. They are bounded by the Snake River on the west and the Salmon and Little Salmon rivers on the east. The range ranks high among Idaho's mountain chains in terms of ruggedness and scenic quality; it is the state's most precipitous range, with elevations varying from just above 1,000 feet at the Snake River to 9,393 feet on the summit of He Devil.
The range was formed by block faulting of the region's very complicated rock layers, which contain a little of everything, from oceanic sedimentary rocks to intrusive igneous rock and limestone caves, all within short walking distance of each other. In the past, mining activity has taken place in this range; old digs can still be found, mostly at the lower elevations. While the Seven Devils block was uplifting, the Salmon River cut an immense trench on the east side of the range, and the Snake River cut an even deeper canyon along the western side. Between the two river canyons is a high 3-mile-wide bench which forms the Seven Devils high country. This crest runs north to south and is most pronounced on its east side, where all of the major peaks are found. The western slope of the range, while at first more moderate than the eastern side, eventually descends rapidly into the Hells Canyon of the Snake River.