It’s time to apply for your Smith River permit
The application period for the 2023 season on the Smith River is officially open. The private float permit application window is open through February 15, 2023.
The final drawing for permits will happen on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Fish Wildlife and Parks will notify successful applicants by email, and they will NOT notify unsuccessful applicants. The Results can also be found HERE.
The Smith River State Park is a unique experience all its own. The floating season depends greatly on snowpack, rainfall, irrigation, etc. But the typical season runs from mid-April through mid-July, with some late-season opportunities in September and October. The float itself is 59 miles from Camp Baker to Eden Bridge. Most floaters take 4 days (3 nights) to make the full trip. There are a total of 27 boat camps, with 52 campsites available on National Forest land.
Floating the Smith is an incredible one-of-a-kind adventure, and for any outdoors person, a must-do. There is just something special about loading up the boat with… everything and living out of it for 4 days.
All my trips down the Smith have been under the auspices of ‘fishing’, but I don’t ever recall our groups knocking ‘em dead. I do remember one early trip we put it at Baker right behind the filming crew for “Fishing the West” (if you remember that old show) and we hopscotched their group for 4 days.
If you haven’t been on the Smith yourself and are interested in how it works. Talk to the people around you, someone close to you has been on the river, guaranteed. The only problem is once you get someone started talking about the Smith, it’s going to be hard to shut them up.
Some of my best memories on the oars are on the Smith.
Gather up your group, and everyone apply for permits HERE.
If you don’t get one you can purchase $5 tickets in the Super Lottery HERE. (Super lottery winner gets a permit for any date they want!)
