Montana whitewater - Smith River, Big Belt Mountains, Cascade/ Meagher County

Cascade/ Meagher county, Camp Baker to Eden Bridge section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS I-III     59 miles
 
… You need a permit through the state drawn in Feb. This is a pristine fishing section of this river and there are many regulations you must pay attention to. Says MTyson

The beautiful scenery of Cascade/ Meagher County and the cool fresh water have people coming here. If you're coming from Great Falls it's not a long drive at all to the starting location, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. And of course, there are campgrounds nearby. Getting your paddling muscles activated and spending some quality time in nature
    will make you glad you came. Whitewater paddling here in the Big Belt Mountains is a great experience. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with not too many other spots for that. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you
want to stay the night, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Smith River doesn't have a lot of paddling sections, the Camp Baker to Eden Bridge section is the only one. This section of Smith River in Cascade/ Meagher County is 59 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class I-III section. If you've been whitewater rafting and kayaking outside Montana you might find the rivers here a bit more manageable, so if you're not from around here don't forget that many of the sections here are safe for beginners.  
Now this is a pretty long section, so make sure you pack enough food along with your camping gear.

Briefly about the general area:
At Smith River you don’t see much precipitation; the month with most of the rain is May, and February is when it's the driest. Summer brings highs in the 80's to Smith River. During the moonlight hours it's typically in the 40's. For the period of the wintertime the highs are typically in the 30's, and through the dark hours in the winter at Smith River temperatures dip to the 10's.

Smith River, Camp Baker to Eden Bridge road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: I-III
Length: 59 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 46.80199
Longitude: -111.17901

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 47.39189
Longitude: -111.44841

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Current weather conditions at Smith River, Big Belt Mountains, Montana
WXPort

Local climate location: CASCADE 5 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Crystal Inn Great Falls, Great Falls
18 miles away
Crystal Inn is nestled between the Big Belt and the High Woods Mountains just off I 15 exit 277. This central location is within minutes of downtown and the Missouri River allowing convenient access ...

Hilton Garden Inn Great Falls, Great Falls
18 miles away
The Hilton Garden Inn Great Falls hotel is located in the heart of the Big Sky Country and offers the value quality and location that any traveler can appreciate. Whether you are visiting this great s...

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites GREAT FALLS, Great Falls
18 miles away
The beautiful Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Great Falls is located one mile from the Great Falls International Airport with complimentary shuttle service available 5:15am-12:00am. Our hotel is c...



OTHER_INFO
  Big Belt Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Big Belt Mountains.

Big Belt Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Big Belt Mountains.

All Montana Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Montana.
Books about whitewater paddling on Smith River, Montana
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Smith River, Montana.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Montana

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Great Falls, Montana
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Great Falls, Montana, the metro area neareast to Smith River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Smith River.
 Whitewater Near Smith River:
Tenderfoot Creek, Meagher County , 10 miles away, Class II - 11 miles long (South Fork Tenderfoot to Smith River)
Missouri River, -blank- County , 24 miles away, Class II(V) - 9 miles long (Great Falls)
Belt Creek, Cascade County , 30 miles away, Class II-III - 14 miles long (Monarch to Riceville)
 Ski Areas Near Smith River:
Showdown, Montana , 44 miles away, 1400 vertical feet
Bridger Bowl, Montana , 67 miles away, 2600 vertical feet
Great Divide, Montana , 71 miles away, 1503 vertical feet
Moonlight Basin, Montana , 84 miles away, 4166 vertical feet
Big Sky, Montana , 86 miles away, 4350 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Smith River:
Crystal Inn Great Falls, Great Falls , 18 miles away
Hilton Garden Inn Great Falls, Great Falls , 18 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites GREAT FALLS, Great Falls , 18 miles away
Hampton Inn Great Falls, Great Falls , 18 miles away
Best Western Heritage Inn, Great Falls , 19 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Smith River:
Missouri Meadows Campground, Great Falls, 18 miles away
Dicks RV Park, Great Falls, 19 miles away
Great Falls Koa Kampground, Great Falls, 20 miles away
 Trails Near Smith River:
Deep Creek Figure 8 Loop National Recreation Trail, Meagher County , 16 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater