Sheep Rock is an overlook of

Hells Canyon Hells Canyon is a canyon in the Western United States, located along the border of eastern Oregon, a small section of eastern Washington and western Idaho. It is part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area which is also located in p ...

in the

Payette National Forest The Payette National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in central western Idaho, in parts of Valley, Idaho, Adams, and Washington counties. The land area consists of approximately 2.3 million acres (9,300 km2) of federally managed ...

about 45 miles northwest of Council, Idaho. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976. The formation consists of two contrasting series of layers from the Columbia River Basalt Group. The layers are separated by an

unconformity An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval o ...

and provide an unobstructed view of this type of geologic phenomenon. Sheep Rock is named for the

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

that used to inhabit the area. To the north is part of Red Ledge Mine in Deep Creek.Payette NF Interpretive Sign The National Forest maintains a mile-long interpretive trail that leads to the canyon overlook halfway around the loop. Also at the trailhead is a campground with vault toilet. Nearby is Kinney Point, an old lookout site over the canyon. It is just off the road to Sheep Rock about 1.5 miles south. The NFS has an interpretive site here.

References

{{authority control National Natural Landmarks in Idaho Landforms of Adams County, Idaho Payette National Forest Protected areas of Adams County, Idaho