# Smith River camps, any beta?



## kengore (May 29, 2008)

Note, there are at least two 'Smith Rivers'. Assuming you refer to the Montana one, I tried to scope out camps on a trip last year. My conclusion is that ALL of them are great. All had good fishing, nice beaches and scenery! I didn't see a single one that wouldn't have made a great overnight. A wealth of good choices.

The one exception is that there is one camp site that does not have a pit toilet. If you get that one you are required to carry a groover for the whole trip. Camp sites are assigned on a first come first selected basis the morning of the launch. There is a sign up sheet at the rangers office. In the morning of the launch groups are allowed to select camp sites starting at opening time (8:00 AM?) based on your sign up order. If you are last on the list your group probably gets to carry groovers.

There are some camp sights last year that had bear problems, the rangers were on top of it but it limited some choices.


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## mtrafter (Aug 13, 2007)

It's true they are all great lol,hopefully you have enough water I've been down with low water before though and it isn't too bad a couple quick drags through some spots is well worth it,scotty allen, canyon depth and trout creek are some of my favorites


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## wamsley (Feb 28, 2011)

*Smith river, mt*

Thanks for the replies, and yes, smith river Montana. Are layover days done on this stretch, or at low water, could it be problematic to have to do a longer day


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## mtrafter (Aug 13, 2007)

Layover day shouldn't effect you, ive been down at below minimum Flows And still spent the same amount of time basicly, last day is typicaly the longest river mile day for most about 15 miles And private ranchland so no more camps


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

I rowed a drift boat on the Smith last year right at the end of run off. Water can drop quickly and I'm pretty sure If I had launched just a day or so later I would have had some trouble.

The biggest concern were river wide gravel bars with 6" or less water in them. The only way across is to drag the boats. Fortunately there was a lot of rain right before our launch and I was able to man handle the boat by myself. I little less water I would have had problems.

There was a group of boy scouts on the river in homemade plywood canoes. They made it look easy, when it got skinny they just hopped out and guided the boats through by hand.

The is such a great float it's worth it even at low water. This year look like a good snow pack, so you might be fine. Keep an eye on the gauges and if you run out of water you can always look into a canoe rental and pack light.


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## Montanaflyfish (Apr 25, 2012)

My favorite Smith camps include:

Middle or. Lower Indian Springs
Rock Garden
Rock Creek
Upper or Middle Cow Coulee
Middle or Lower Sunset Cliffs
Any of the Trout Creeks
Upper Parker Flat
Parker #1 and 2
Paradise Bend
Middle or Lower Ridgetop
Lower Givens
Upper Rattlesnake

Just got off a couple of weeks ago and going again on July 5. We did a layover at Cow Coulee and will probably do it again in July. Have a great trip!


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

If you have never done the smith before when you arrive to sign up look at the camp site board and see what the groups launching a few days before you signed up for. The ones with one time sign up avoid if possible, the ones taken every day try for. Make sure you have at 2 or more choices picked out for each night unless you are the first to have signed in. I would avoid lower Scotty Allen's (lots of goose poop), Sheep wagon, Lower cow coulee, Deep creek, Black butte and Ridge top. All the rest are really nice in my opinion.
You can take just enough water for first day and fill up at Indian springs (great water).


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## mtriverrat (Jan 29, 2012)

My favorites are Indian Springs, Sunset Cliffs, Canyon Depth, and Rattlesnake. They are all nice and have their own character. The rangers will help you with selections based on what's available and your mileage. They did have bear problems when we went down and had quite a few closed off for that.


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## daledevon (Jun 10, 2013)

We just stayed at Rock Creek, long hike to the latrine, worth the hike.
Then at lower Sunset cliffs, all sunsets are good.
Upper Table Rock. Challenged kids to kayak across and climb up to table rock, 4 min 13 sec.
Lower Givens Gulch. Huge campground with spots right by the water, or up in the trees.

We were first on the list so these were all our choices.
Have at least one person show up one day early so that you meet the ranger for sign-up on the day before your launch to get 1st of second in line.


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## MDC902 (Feb 23, 2014)

We just had a great trip last week. I agree that you can't go wrong with any. The rangers were great at suggesting camps based on our wants and needs. 
Definitely get there early to get your name on the list.


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## markdl (Feb 24, 2009)

To add to the lists others have provided, Upper Fraunhoffer was also excellent. We stayed at Rock Creek, Lower Sunset, Upper Fraun and Lower Givens. First on the list so we got our first choices for each night.

Just a note, (have no way to verify if this *actually* happened or not...) the rangers had been though the day before we arrived at Lower Givens and had dug new latrines at Lower Givens and Upper Rattlesnake. The group at Upper Rattlesnake said, as we were floating by, that they had experienced a rattlesnake in their newly dug latrine the night before.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

Markdl pretty much hit my ideal trip. Upper table rock is a good replacement for u Frau, rock garden for deep creek and all of the givens and rattlers are good. Lower ridgetop is great if you need to stay above give and rattlers on the last night. Best two sites on the river are middle Indian springs (see pics above, right across the river from camp) and lower sunset cliffs. Sunsets all have great day hikes (conned my wife into saying yes on tall cliff above and up river) as does Fraunhofer. Stay away from county line, upper Parker (road in camp), merganser bend, bear creek (also road). There is also water right below bear creek, big Eddy with white pvc pipe river right on sharp left bend. Enjoy the views from the latrines!

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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

Wick add on, if I were to be granted one last wish before I died it would be a warm spring morning awaking at middle Indian springs...many great mornings have been spent there, sadly not as many in recent years with the 4 night limits during peak season. Also it'll be pushin it for layover days if the water doesn't come up, but the sunset area would be my first choice. I'm also surprised no one has talked about the petroglyph cave...the trail its below lower Parker flats about a mile, river right. Eddy out behind huge rock and closely follow trail. Its a scramble, but well worth it. I think I could scrounge up some coords if you'd like...

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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

elkhaven said:


> Quick add on, if I were to be granted one last wish before I died it would be a warm spring morning awaking at middle Indian springs...many great mornings have been spent there, sadly not as many in recent years with the 4 night limits during peak season. Also it'll be pushin it for layover days if the water doesn't come up, but the sunset area would be my first choice. I'm also surprised no one has talked about the petroglyph cave...the trail its below lower Parker flats about a mile, river right. Eddy out behind huge rock and closely follow trail. Its a scramble, but well worth it. I think I could scrounge up some coords if you'd like...
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Mountain Buzz mobile app




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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

Sorry for the weird dup, gust wanted to change wick to quick...



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## markdl (Feb 24, 2009)

FYI, there wasn't much of an eddy at all at the pull-in for the cave on June 4th when we were there. Eddy room for no more than 2 boats. Trail was a serious scramble, with three nearly-vertical sections (not too tough going up, harder coming back down) but once we all got safely back to the boats, it was very worth it!


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## Montanaflyfish (Apr 25, 2012)

Quick correction to an earlier post... One of the camps that has the "road" is Trout Creek (in addition to Bear Gulch.) It is usually used at lower water by some of the cabin residents to do shuttles of tubers doing day floats. Upper Parker is one of the best camps on the river and there is no road going through camp.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

Just a quick note the cave hike is on river left. Three boats will fit and a stake is advised for tying up.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

Montanaflyfish said:


> Quick correction to an earlier post... One of the camps that has the "road" is Trout Creek (in addition to Bear Gulch.) It is usually used at lower water by some of the cabin residents to do shuttles of tubers doing day floats. Upper Parker is one of the best camps on the river and there is no road going through camp.


Sorry, you're totally correct Trout Creek was what I was thinking... But a deuce and a half rumbling through camp could ruin ones tranquil sleep and the roads are also primary access for a significant number of the landowners, not just tube shuttles. You will see them in use at surprisingly high flows. Thanks for the correction.



[email protected] said:


> Just a quick note the cave hike is on river left. Three boats will fit and a stake is advised for tying up.


 Lots of corrections, I guess I need to stay away from late night posting when I can't sleep... The cave trail is river left, thank you bighorn.


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## montanan (May 7, 2014)

Getting to be that time of year for planning for the smith! Might seem like a random question... but has anyone ever stayed at the 'Merganser Bend' campsite?


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

montanan said:


> Getting to be that time of year for planning for the smith! Might seem like a random question... but has anyone ever stayed at the 'Merganser Bend' campsite?


no and for good reason, I think....

I've stopped in there once, for my wife to pee... She didn't come down claiming it was a diamond in the ruff which is my extent of info on the site. From the river, it's almost completely shut off with willows and I've always laughed at the concept, but, honestly it's been a while since I've paid it much heed. I'd love to hear an actual report of someone staying there, but in reality ridge top is just around the corner and lower ridge is a great site. upper isn't bad either. Middle is really just part of lower and shouldn't be it's own site. The other group of sites in the area, Black butte (or something similar) looks nice if you want to hike your gear 20 feet up the bank. I wish I could give you better intel, but it's just never been a site I've been interested in - kind of like County Line, way up river.

Happy floating, when water is no longer solid...


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## montanan (May 7, 2014)

Dang. I was kinda hoping you'd have the info. Merganser Bend is one of the few sites that I have zero intel on. I've stayed at both upper and lower ridgetop and have stopped before at Black Butte. I'm just trying to fill in the blanks I have on intel for camp sites on the smith and Merganser is pretty much the last one.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

montanan said:


> Dang. I was kinda hoping you'd have the info. Merganser Bend is one of the few sites that I have zero intel on. I've stayed at both upper and lower ridgetop and have stopped before at Black Butte. I'm just trying to fill in the blanks I have on intel for camp sites on the smith and Merganser is pretty much the last one.


Well you'll just have to give it a shot and report back! Next time I'm down there I'll stop in for sure. In fact I should stop in a check a few more out as well.

We should put together a site or database of some kind for the sites (like exists for the Grand Rhonde). But I guess in the end that could take effort and stuff... 

Apparently I'm all for big plans that fizzle out, at least that's what my wife says.


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## montanan (May 7, 2014)

I'm far more likely to stop in and take a few photos, than to roll the dice and declare it. Just was curious if anyone has stayed there or perhaps took it during a particularly crowed year.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

montanan said:


> I'm far more likely to stop in and take a few photos, than to roll the dice and declare it. Just was curious if anyone has stayed there or perhaps took it during a particularly crowed year.


Ahhhh, where's your adventurous spirit? It can't be that bad (other than wading through the willows)!


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## montanan (May 7, 2014)

elkhaven said:


> Ahhhh, where's your adventurous spirit? It can't be that bad (other than wading through the willows)!


True. This is the Smith we are talking about here


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## PAU in a NRS (Nov 1, 2014)

If my memory serves me, we stayed at Merganser Bend a couple of years ago, because of the good recommendations from the ranger at Baker. The range told us they clean up the willows. Well there were a lot of wallows they cleaned up or cut. But the problem was at the time they cut them there was 8 or 12 inches of snow on the ground. When we showed up we had a camp ground of mud and 8 to 12 inch spikes everywhere. If it was my trip I would stay away from that camp ground!


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## montanan (May 7, 2014)

PAU in a NRS said:


> If my memory serves me, we stayed at Merganser Bend a couple of years ago, because of the good recommendations from the ranger at Baker. The range told us they clean up the willows. Well there were a lot of wallows they cleaned up or cut. But the problem was at the time they cut them there was 8 or 12 inches of snow on the ground. When we showed up we had a camp ground of mud and 8 to 12 inch spikes everywhere. If it was my trip I would stay away from that camp ground!


Yikes! I don't think anyone wants a hole in a boat or foot from a punji stake camp. Do you have any photos from that trip?


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## PAU in a NRS (Nov 1, 2014)

I'm not sure I will look if I find some I'll post them.


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## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

elkhaven said:


> We should put together a site or database of some kind for the sites (like exists for the Grand Rhonde). But I guess in the end that could take effort and stuff...


Whitewatercampsites.com has a handful of sites and photos. 
http://www.whitewatercampsites.com/Smith (Montana)/index.php


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## mtgreenheads (Jul 15, 2011)

The only camp I can say I was honestly disappointed with was Trout Creek.


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