Smith River

Camp Baker to Eden Bridge · Class I–II · MT

Lottery

—no reading

No reading

Snapshot from Oct 22, 2026. Live reading loading.

Runnable range 300 to 1,500 cfs. This is a draft estimate that paddlers have not reviewed yet.

Season

Typically mid-April to mid-July, depending on snowpack and irrigation

Character

A 59-mile multi-day float through limestone canyons with camping, fishing and little whitewater.

Watch for

Cold water, sudden storms and low flows in a dry year. Plan on four days on the river.

Gauge

USGS 06077200
Smith River below Eagle Creek near Fort Logan
No reading in the Oct 22, 2026 snapshot.
The gauge is near the put-in, so it shows the water at the start of the trip.

Permit

LotteryOpens Jan 1, in 59 days.

Apply Jan 1 to Feb 15 through Montana FWP. Season depends on snowpack.

Apply on Montana FWP Official page

Fees and rules

Fees are in the FWP biennial rule. Bonus points cost $5 for residents and $125 for nonresidents.

Typical season is mid-April through mid-July. Groups are limited to 15 people. A minimum of two nights and three full days is recommended at normal flows (300+ cfs), and from May 15 to Jul 15 trips are limited to four nights. Nonresident permits cannot exceed 10 percent of the total. A separate Super Permit lottery allows launch on any date.

Source: Montana FWP Smith River page, describing the 2026 season. 2027 dates are assumed to match; confirm on the FWP page.

Snowpack

Smith River (Montana)Early season

Snow water equivalent 1.0 in. Early season — median too low for a meaningful %.

Outlook indicator, not a flow forecast. Spring temperatures, rain, soil moisture, dust on snow and reservoir releases also matter. NRCS SNOTEL data as of Nov 1, 2026 (provisional).

See basin snowpack

Draft details for paddlers to review and edit. Community voting on runnable ranges is coming.

Trip reports

Wavetrain is an early build. Flow readings are USGS provisional data and may be revised. Runnable ranges and run details are drafts for paddlers to review. Permit dates and rules come from the agency pages linked on each permit and can change. Snowpack figures come from NRCS SNOTEL stations, are provisional, and are grouped into basins by watershed, so they may differ from official NRCS basin reports. Nothing here replaces scouting, local knowledge or a conversation with a nearby outfitter.