Just after the fourth of July, Jacob and I set out with seven new and old friends to float 59 miles of the Smith River in central Montana. This river float is known for it’s gorgeous cliff scenery, abundance of wildlife, and world-class fly fishing.

This river float only has one put in and one take out point. Meaning, once you’re on the river, there is no road access (aside from private homes and ranches) until the take out point. This allowed for 5 days of full immersion in nature, spending time floating the river during the day and enjoying time at assigned campsites at night.

Of the nine in our group, three were avid fly fishermen and another two (the group I fall into) held a casual interest. The remaining four were simply happy to enjoy swimming in the river and paddling.

Getting A Permit For The Smith River Float

I bet some of you are wondering, you need a permit to float this river? Yep! You absolutely do. On top of that, you have to submit an application to enter a lottery first. If you win the lottery, a permit is yours!

Our friend Scott, who lives in Montana, was the lucky soul that won the permit for our group. He saw something about the float online, checked the website, and was lucky enough to submit his application on the last day. A few days later, he got an email with his permit information and the assigned dates for put in and take out! We were so lucky to have the opportunity, we have since heard that there are people that have been putting into this lottery for years and still haven’t gotten the permit to float.

Once the permit is acquired, there are two options for the float. You can either hire a guide company that will give you all of your gear, paddle you around, make your food, and show you all the great fishing spots. OR you can do a private float, renting gear yourself and choosing your own adventure. We went the private option, opting to prep and cook our own meals and take our time in the river.

A few days before the float, you get more information including the time you can get on the river and your options of campgrounds.

Prepping For The Float

Choosing the private float option meant that we needed to do quite a bit of prep to make sure everyone had the proper gear. This included making reservations with a local outfitter for:

• rafts to float in,
• Life jackets,
• large drybags to keep our camping gear and clothes dry,
• dry boxes for food,
• and large coolers for food.

Additionally, we went shopping as a group for all of the food we would need. We purchased a variety of lunch food options, snacks, and everything necessary to make each person’s assigned breakfast/dinner, this was primarily split up per couple.

Luckily, living in the bus allowed for Jacob and I to have nearly all of the camping related gear we needed for this trip. Excluding the most important things, of course. A tent, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. Oof. Our initial plan was to borrow these things from friends in the area. However, we ended up going to REI and found a camping set containing all of the things we needed for over 50% off! Woohoo! Not only did we get the gear we needed, but we also have a new backpacking tent, sleeping bags, and pads for a great deal.

Going On The Float

Being on the river was an absolutely dreamy. We spent our days taking turns paddling the rafts, catching trout and whitefish (No, we didn’t keep any. Most fly fishermen practice catch-and-release fishing only), and swimming in the river. Our evenings and nights were spent cooking, reading, playing cards, fishing some more, and chatting by the bonfire.

We had ‘smores every night, made multiple rounds of coffee every morning, and caught a ton of fish. Not to brag, but I’m pretty sure I ended up catching the largest fish on the trip, a 15 inch rainbow trout. Look below for my my (extremely) mediocre fish handling job. I know, you can barely see the fish with my hands covering it, whoops.

If you enjoyed this post, please check out my other travel related posts and subscribe to our email list so you don’t miss an update! Also, don’t forget to check out Steph’s amazing content related to baking and garden adventures.