Managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, the recreation area was established by Congress and signed by President Gerald Ford in late 1975 to protect the historic and archaeological values of the Hells Canyon area and the area of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon–Washington border.

[2][4][5] Roughly 215,000 acres (335 sq mi; 870 km2) of the recreation area are designated the Hells Canyon Wilderness.

The largest portion of the area lies in eastern Wallowa County, Oregon.

[15] The Snake River National Recreation Trail #102[16] (SRNRT) lies within the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and along the Idaho side of the Snake River, from near Lamont Springs, downstream, to Pittsburg Landing.

Access to the SRNRT can be gained via road to the trailhead[17] at Pittsburg Landing on the north end of the trail, or, by boat access near Hells Canyon Dam on the south end of the trail.