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 | Fort Logan Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 46.74514, -111.17401 | Upper river above the canyon. FWP directions: 17 miles west of White Sulphur Springs, then 2 miles north on Smith River Road. |
| 2 | Camp Baker Smith River State Park - permit put-in | Access / boat ramp | 46.80318, -111.18221 | The launch for the 59-mile permitted canyon float to Eden Bridge. Montana State Parks runs the permit and the launch calendar; you cannot put in here without one. |
| 3 | USGS 06077200 - Smith River below Eagle Creek near Fort Logan USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 46.82798, -111.19224 | The gauge this water page reads, just below the put-in reach - the number floaters watch before a canyon trip. |
| 4 | Eden Bridge Smith River State Park - permit take-out | Access / boat ramp | 47.23591, -111.38904 | End of the permitted canyon float, 59 river miles below Camp Baker. There is no vehicle access to the river in between. |
| 5 | Truly Bridge Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.35454, -111.43703 | Lower river below the canyon. FWP directions: 8 miles southeast of Ulm on Hwy 330 (Millegan Road). |
| 6 | Lower Smith River Montana FWP fishing access site | Access / boat ramp | 47.39279, -111.44887 | Lowest access on the river, a few miles above the mouth on the Missouri. FWP directions: 3 miles south of Ulm on Hwy 330 (Millegan Road). |
Gauge: USGS 06077200 — Smith River bl Eagle Cr nr Fort Logan MT. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: fwp.mt.gov/fish/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Camp Baker: the only launch point for the canyon float, permit required.
Eden Bridge: the takeout, fifty-nine miles downstream.
Fort Logan area: upper river access near the gauge above the permit section.
Sheep Creek: tributary and upper river access.
Smith River State Park: the administering agency for permits and campsites.
There is no road access between Camp Baker and Eden; plan for a self-contained multi-day trip.
Late May through early July: the normal float window, dictated by flow.
June: the best combination of water, weather and dry fly fishing.
July: still floatable in wet years, marginal in dry ones.
August through spring: flows are usually too low to float the canyon; the upper river fishes on foot.