Idaho has One of the Most Difficult and Remote Mail Routs in the States and You Can Tour it
The U.S. Postal service has been in operation for hundreds of years. According to the Unites States Postal Service website, "In the more than two centuries since Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General in 1775, the Postal Service™ has grown and changed with America, boldly embracing new technologies to better serve a growing population."
Idaho has many remote locations that have mail delivered daily or weekly but no location is quite as hard to deliver to as the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Hells Canyon is part of the Snake River and is a massive river filled canyon that runs from Idaho to Oregon. Residents of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area have been regularly getting mail since 1919 but it hasn't been easy.
Atlas Obscura says, "The area had a population boom in the early 20th century when miners settled there in hopes of finding gold, but today the canyon is home mostly to cattle ranches. Every Wednesday for nearly 30 years, Jill Koch and her husband Jim take the just under a 200-mile round trip that begins at 8 a.m. and finishes by 6 p.m."
You may have seen shows about extreme jobs and maybe being a United States Postal Service Worker doesn't seem like that difficult of a job but in demanding and dangerous conditions if sure can be extreme. This rout is known as one of the most remote mail routes in the Lower 48. I love that a married couple has taken this on and for the last 30 plus years. They partnered with Hells Canyon Tours and even offer weekly tours where you can experience the journey with them...
Hells Canyon Tours calls it The Best Mail Rout in the World, "Explore all of the Hells Canyon treasures at a leisurely pace as you visit historical sites while delivering mail to isolated ranches along the way. You can celebrate your part in this ageless tradition by either joining our 5-Rivers Full Day Tour on Wednesdays and make the journey all in one day or opt for a two-day one-night adventure with an unforgettable night deep in the heart of Hells Canyon at Beamers’ Copper Creek Lodge: hearty home-style all-you-can-eat meals, private modern cabin."
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