Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USGS 11475800 South Fork Eel River at Leggett Primary flow reference | USGS gauge | 39.87460, -123.72058 | The gauge the South Fork is read from; sits at chain-km 63 of 171, just above Standish-Hickey. |
| 2 | Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area California State Parks, Leggett | Campsite | 39.87695, -123.72972 | Three campground loops off US-101; a seasonal summer footbridge crosses to the Redwood Campground on the far bank. |
| 3 | Redwoods River Resort Campground Private riverside campground | Campsite | 39.92006, -123.76773 | Fee campground on the river bank at chain-km 75. |
| 4 | Reynolds Wayside Campground Wayside campground off US-101 | Campsite | 39.94252, -123.78131 | Small roadside campground on the east bank; mapped in OSM as a park. |
| 5 | Richardson Grove State Park California State Parks | Park / conservation area | 40.01709, -123.79280 | Old-growth park straddling the river at chain-km 95, with the main summer swimming and fishing frontage. |
| 6 | Oak Flat Campground Richardson Grove State Park | Campsite | 40.01549, -123.78810 | The riverside loop at Richardson Grove, open in summer only. |
| 7 | Richardson Grove State Park Visitor Center State park visitor centre | Agency / conservation office | 40.02025, -123.79183 | Staffed contact point for the Richardson Grove reach. |
| 8 | Benbow State Recreation Area Campground California State Parks, Benbow | Campsite | 40.06001, -123.78270 | Campground on the summer-impounded reach above Garberville. |
| 9 | KOA Benbow Private RV campground | Campsite | 40.06956, -123.78778 | Full-service RV park on the Benbow reach. |
| 10 | Tooby Memorial Park Public park, Garberville | Park / conservation area | 40.08974, -123.79665 | County park frontage on the east bank at Garberville, chain-km 114. |
| 11 | John B. Dewitt Redwoods State Natural Reserve State natural reserve | Park / conservation area | 40.13419, -123.81384 | Undeveloped old-growth reserve on the west bank; foot access only. |
| 12 | South Fork Eel Fishing Access Marked fishing access, Miranda | Access / boat ramp | 40.18227, -123.77601 | The closest of several signed access turnouts strung along the Miranda reach either side of the gauge. |
| 13 | USGS 11476500 South Fork Eel River near Miranda Lower-river gauge | USGS gauge | 40.18181, -123.77614 | The lower gauge, at chain-km 132; the usual reference for the bottom third of the river. |
| 14 | Hidden Springs Campground Humboldt Redwoods State Park | Campsite | 40.27694, -123.86562 | Hillside campground above the river on the Avenue of the Giants. |
| 15 | Giant Redwoods RV & Cabin Destination Private RV and cabin park | Campsite | 40.26224, -123.87812 | Private campground with river frontage at Myers Flat. |
| 16 | Williams Grove Day Use Area Humboldt Redwoods State Park | Park / conservation area | 40.27521, -123.88721 | Day-use grove with the park's main river frontage and swimming hole; fee area. |
| 17 | Garden Club of America Grove Day Use Area Humboldt Redwoods State Park | Park / conservation area | 40.29124, -123.90053 | Second day-use grove with bank access, 2 km downstream of Williams Grove. |
| 18 | Humboldt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center State park visitor centre | Agency / conservation office | 40.30845, -123.90818 | Staffed centre at Burlington, beside the park headquarters. |
| 19 | Burlington Campground Humboldt Redwoods State Park | Campsite | 40.30977, -123.90985 | Year-round campground at park headquarters, chain-km 163. |
| 20 | Humboldt Redwoods State Park California State Parks | Park / conservation area | 40.31328, -123.92585 | The largest park on the river, carrying the bottom 20 km of the South Fork. |
| 21 | South Fork Eel low-flow section Downstream boundary: junction with the Eel River | Regulation section limit | 40.35420, -123.91864 | CDFW names a low-flow reach running from Rattlesnake Creek downstream to this junction with the main Eel. Check the current notice before fishing it. |
Gauge: USGS 11475800 — SF EEL R A LEGGETT CA. Live flow on the web page.
Species: American Shad, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, Steelhead
Regulations: wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Leggett - the gauge reach and access at the top of the fishable water.
Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area - developed access and campground near Leggett.
Richardson Grove State Park - redwood corridor access on the middle river.
Benbow - the standard access near Garberville.
Garberville area river access - bank access on the middle reach.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Weott - lower river access through the old growth.
Dyerville - the confluence with the main stem Eel and the bottom of the reach.
Spring: the tail of the winter run, dropping flows and closures arriving as the river falls.
Summer: low warm water, largely closed to fishing and best treated as a swimming season.
Fall: the first rains bring the earliest fish, but the river is usually still too low.
Winter: the season, entirely governed by storm timing and the low-flow closure status.