A Guide to Floating the Smith River

I’ve been lucky enough to float the Smith River in Montana quite a few times, and it’s still fun to plan the 58.9 mile drift down the limestone water slide. However, there aren’t too many, if any, resources out there that actually show and explain each of the campgrounds you can choose from for your journey. So, this is our attempt to break them down for you one by one. If you do decide to float the Smith at 100 CFS (which is not recommended), then you will probably have the same amount of time that Jake and I had to literally write and photograph each of the campgrounds as you grind down your kayak on the salmonfly and caddis casings lining the river bed. Until someone ignores my advice and does it anyways, this is what I got.

What flies are best for the Smith? Read this before you go.

Camp Baker – 0 Miles

• Boat launch for the Smith River float
• Features basic camping facilities
• You are welcome to camp here the night before your float
• You must check in with the ranger before launching your boats

Spring Creek – 4.4 Miles

• This is the first campground of the float
• This is a 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
• By public lands for hiking
• 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
• Indian Springs is located across the river from the Middle campground
• Hiking trail that leads up past the first springs
• Lower is just down river from the actual springs but offers a lot of trees and boulders to camp around

Rock Garden (Upper & Lower) – 6.8 Miles

• Great fishing run below the campground
• First nice views of the canyon walls
• 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

Scotty Allen’s Black Canyon – 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 upriver
• Makes for a long first day or short second

Make sure you take the right layers with you. See all fly fishing apparel here.

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 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

Sunset Cliffs (Upper, Middle, and Lower) – 23.6 Miles

• 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
• If you get the chance to stay at any of these three, do it
• 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
• Pretty wide shallow water

Bear Gulch (Upper and Lower) – 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

Trout Creek (Upper, Middle, Lower) – 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

Table Rock (Upper, Middle, Lower) – 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

Fraunhoffer (Upper, Middle, Lower) – 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, #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

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
• 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

Black Butte (Upper and Lower) – 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

Ridgetop (Upper, Middle, Lower) – 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

Givens Gulch (Upper and Lower) – 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

Rattlesnake (Upper and Lower) – 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

Eden Bridge – 58.9 Miles

• Last takeout for the permitted section of the river
• Be ready for a fast pull in just before the bridge
• If you pass the bridge, you have gone too far

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