Smith River (California)

Description

Smith River flows from the Klamath Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in Del Norte County in extreme northwestern California, on the West Coast of the United States. The river, about 25 miles (40.4 km) long, all within Del Norte County, flows through the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The Smith River basin covers an area of 719 square miles (1,860 km²). The Smith River is formed by the confluence of its Middle Fork and North Fork near the community of Gasquet. The free-flowing nature of the river – without a single dam along its entire length – makes it particularly valued among conservationists and it is considered one of the crown jewels of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Both salmon and trout are born in the cold waters of Smith River, and resident cutthroat and rainbow trout stay in this water their whole lives. But other fish, such as sea-run cutthroat and steelhead trout, as well as other species like Chinook and coho salmon, migrate to the ocean as juveniles.