Zone 16A wraps the Salmon River breaks south of Riggins on the Hells Canyon side, the country between the Salmon and the Snake. Elevations run from about 1,400 feet on the rivers to over 7,500 feet on the high benches above Hells Canyon. The lower country is bunchgrass, cheatgrass, and rimrock with scattered ponderosa in the side draws; mid-elevations carry mountain mahogany, ponderosa, and doug fir; the higher benches support mixed conifer. This is genuinely vertical country—you can drop 4,000 feet in a single drainage. Mule deer and bighorn sheep live here, with elk in the higher timbered pockets. Land ownership splits between Payette and Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, BLM, and significant private ranch holdings on the rims. Forest Road 517 (the Salmon River road) from Riggins is the main artery and is a slow, narrow, cliffy drive even in good weather. US 95 along the rim is the alternative. Riggins has gas, a couple motels, and decent food; White Bird is smaller. Cell service follows US 95 only. Heat is a real factor—September can hit 90 in the canyon, and water sources are scarce above the river. Pack-outs from the bottom are punishing even by Idaho standards. The bighorn sheep tag here is one of the best in the West, but it'll take you 40 years of points to draw it.