A Guide to Floating the Smith River

Words by Sam Wike

Camp Baker (0 Miles)

• Boat launch for the Smith River float
• This is now a "day use only" site. No overnight camping, except for the period of Sept. 1 through Nov. 30.
• You used to pick campgrounds here before your float, but now rangers call you over the phone two days prior to your launch date

Spring Creek (4.4 Miles)

• This is the first campground of the float
• Use caution if flows are low, this is skinny section of the river with lots of boulders
• If you want to spend time fishing the upper 4 mile section later in the day, you will most likely have the evening hatch all to yourself

In Lieu (5.6 Miles)

• First time entering the canyon section of the river 
• This campground is close to public lands. Camp here if you're interested in getting a hike in on day one. 
• Lots of pocket water for fishing because of the skinny fast water and boulders here

Indian Spring (6 Miles)

• Three campsites (Upper, Middle, Lower)
• Indian Springs water is a drinkable water source and a good place to load up your canteens
• Indian Springs is located across the river from the Middle campground
• There is a hiking trail that leads up past the first springs
• Lower campground is just down river from the actual springs but offers a lot of trees and boulders to camp around

Upper & Lower Rock Garden (6.8 Miles)

• Great fishing run below the campground
• First nice views of the limestone canyon walls the Smith River is known for
• Named for a large rocky section of the river
• Both campgrounds offer privacy

Rock Creek (8.9 Miles)

• One of the most popular first-day campsites
• Excellent fishing opportunities
• Private property - you must stay below the high water mark

Upper, Middle & Lower Scotty Allen (12 Miles)

• Three campgrounds - Upper, Middle & Lower
• Popular and busy campgrounds for 1st-night floaters
• Each campground is very private, though they get progressively larger the further down river you go
• Lower Scotty - Huge campsite with cover and decent fishing
• Downfall – the “bathroom” is a steep hike all the way up the ridge

Syringa (15.2 Miles)

• Similar campsite to Lower Scotty Allen
• There is an amazing fishing spot up-river
• Makes for a long first day or short second

Canyon Depth (16.9 Miles)

• It’s just far enough to be a pretty long first-day float or a short second-day float
• It has trees and boulders with a backdrop of a dramatic limestone cliff stretching all the way around the river corner
• Lots of great walk and wader fishing up and down from the campsite
• There is a huge eddy at the bottom end of the campground

Two Creek (17.8 Miles)

• Surrounded by small limestone cliffs
• Open 360-degree views
• There is skinnier water here than the previous campgrounds

Sheep Wagon (18.4 Miles)

• Campground on the right just past a river bend
• Across the river from smaller limestone cliffs
• Camp has sun and shade opportunities
• A private cabin is within view of the camp

Upper, Middle & Lower Cow Coulee (22.8 Miles)

• Upper is a wide open field with a few trees
• Middle is located on the bend of the river with more tree cover
• Large still water pool
• Lower is located a ways downstream on a bench with some trees
• All campsites are across from some smaller cliffs
• There are some decent fishing opportunities at each campsite

Upper, Middle & Lower Sunset Cliffs (23.6 Miles)

• If the water is high, make sure to stay to the right-hand side or the current pulls you towards the limestone cliffs and away from the boat pull-offs
• These campsites are across the river from a massive orange cliff face
• The Middle and Lower are in close proximity to each other
• Lower is a lot larger campsite but middle is right on the river bend
• Middle gets the least amount of sun
• If you get the chance to stay at any of these three, do it. We recommend the upper campground though. 
• It is the token Smith River campground

County Lines (25.5 Miles)

• Open campground boxed in by mountains and small cliffs
• Last campground before Heaven on Earth Ranch. You can book a stay at Heaven on Earth Ranch if you want a hot shower, to play golf, or sleep on a real bed.
• Pretty wide shallow water

Upper and Lower Bear Gulch (29 Miles)

• Immediately after Heaven on Earth Ranch
• Both are fairly open grass fields with some trees and tall bushes
• There may be more fishing pressure here due to the nearby public access
• In an emergency, this is one of the easiest places to get out if you have to

Upper, Middle & Lower Trout Creek (30.3 Miles)

• These three campgrounds are really close together and with great views
• You are almost completely surrounded by cliffs and a steep hill with tall trees
• I think lower has the best view overall

Crows Foot (32 Miles)

• The layout of this campground allows 280-degree views
• There isn’t a lot of cover from passing floaters
• Experience would vary based on the weather
• This is a huge bend in the river so quick access to a lot of fishing

Upper, Middle & Lower Table Rock (33.5 Miles)

• Named after the rock formation that looks like it going to tip over with a slight nudge
• The water here is gentle and slow
• Campgrounds are really close together with limited cover and not much if any privacy

Upper, Middle & Lower Fraunhoffer (35.4 Miles)

• Amazing face of limestone directly across from the campground
• You are now entering cattle country and there can be cows that visit behind the campground
• There is a great view down river as well

Upper Parker Flat (37.5 Miles)

• Upper Parker Flat is a more open campground featuring a few very tall trees with limited cover
• You are on a river bend with a great cliff across the river
• There are some good fishing opportunities especially later in the afternoon

Parker Flat #1, #2 and #3 (37.9 Miles)

• #1 is on the next river bend on the opposite riverside
• It is surrounded by the start of a cliff, with trees behind the campground, and a large rock bar to park boats
• #2 is in the middle of the cliff started at #1
• It has a large tree backdrop with cliff views across the river
• #3 is at the end of the flat just before the river bends again
• It also features cliffs across the river with a thick tree backdrop to the campsite
• All of the campgrounds are relatively close but do have lots of cover and pretty adequate privacy

Deep Creek (38.7 Miles)

• Deep Creek has plenty of fishing opportunities against the large cliff face across the river
• Human waste must be packed out with an approved waste system. Visit the FWP Smith River page to find a list of approved waste systems. 

Paradise Bend (39.5 Miles)

• This campground borders private property
• It is kind of in the open with a large field behind it and not a lot of protection
• The campground is right before a fork in the river with an island that splits the river

Staig Miller (44 Miles)

• A semi-open campsite after a river bend
• Go around the corner after you see the sign to hit the boat take out
• Current is strong here when the water is high
• There are some trees for cover but is mostly open grassy tent sites
• This campground is also next to the forest which creates a nice atmosphere

Merganser Bend (44.5 Miles)

• On the map, it says, “This camp is easily missed.” Guess what, I missed it.
• Up to this point, I had never actually heard of this campground
• If you have any photos or information about this trip send it our way

Upper and Lower Black Butte (44.8 Miles)

• They have a semi-steep but short hike up to the campsites
• They are on a high bench across from some abrupt cliff faces with pretty cool views
• Be a little weary about the landing sites in high water
• At 100 cfs, you have all the space you could need
• They are close together so privacy may be limited

Upper, Middle & Lower Ridgetop (45 Miles)

• The Upper is its own campsite that at the start of a tighter river bend with cliffs on the opposite side of the river
• Upper Ridgetop and the Black Butte camps are visible to each other but are on the opposite and down river from each other
• The Middle and Lower are the two closest camps to each other
• You also have two of the longest hikes from the water’s edge to the campsites
• They have tons of tree cover with a large forest canopy
• It offers an elevated scenic view of the river different than any of the campsites
• You may be greeted by wild turkeys across the river

Upper & Lower Givens Gulch (47.2 Miles)

• Stay to the left around the island to access both Givens Gulch campgrounds that are located on a long river bench
• Upper is a little challenging for boat parking but offers a lot more cover than the lower campground
• Lower is on the river bend flat after one of the Smith’s “rapids”
• It’s the most significant rapid on the whole river with flows below 350 cfs

Upper & Lower Rattlesnake (47.4 Miles)

• Last boat camps before Eden Bridge
• Upper Rattlesnake is just around the bend from Lower Givens Gulch
• It has very limited tree coverage but a cliff wall just across the water
• There are some decent fishing opportunities behind the faster water and along the cliff's edge
• Lower Rattlesnake has zero tree coverage, it is just an open field of grasses and rocks
• There is still a nice cliff to look at across the river
• Rattlesnake campgrounds have their name for a reason, but we have never seen any snakes there

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