North Fork of the Smith River

The North Fork of the Smith is one of the best one-day river trips in all of California. It is roughly 10 miles of class III and IV in a beautiful river canyon with water that flows gin-clear.

From Ashland, the task of getting to the North Fork can be somewhat daunting. It takes roughly 2.5 hours to get to the small town of Gasquet and from there it is still another 1.5 hours into the put-in. Fortunately, a gentleman named Barefoot Brad offers a shuttle service. Take advantage of it. It saves another 3 hours of driving (if you had to drive back in and out of the put in at the end of the day).

Flows fluctuate quickly on the North Fork of the Smith. You do not want to be on this river at high water. As mentioned, it is remote, with no trail out of the river canyon. Boaters measure the flow based off of a foot-gage that has been spray-painted onto a metal pipe that sticks into the river at the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Smith Rivers. Brad, to the rescue again, reports this flow each morning on DreamFlows.com under 'Forums'. You want the flow to be between 9 feet and 12 feet. At 12 feet the river becomes pretty push and at 9 feet you will be dodging a lot of rocks.

Terrain

Very remote. Lots of bedrock and heavily forested in some areas. This area of the Kalmiopsis was burned in the Biscuit Fire, so look out for dead snags.

Skill Level:

Intermediate to Advanced

Directions & Map:

View Larger Map

From AOS head north on I5.
Take the first exit in Grants Pass, Highway 199. Follow this road toward the coast for approx 66 miles to Gasquet.
This is the take-out. "Barefoot Brad" offers a shuttle which will save several hours. Make sure to arange for the shuttle ahead of time.