Smith River has California’s largest salmon and record-size steelhead. Smith River (formerly, Smith River Corners, Smith’s River Valley, Smiths River, and Smith’s River) is a census-designated place in Del Norte County, California, United States. It is located 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of Crescent City, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the mouth of the Smith River, at an elevation of 52 feet (16 m). More than 300 miles of the Smith River System are designated wild and scenic, making it one of the longest rivers in the National System. The emerald-green Smith River flows freely and naturally, without a single dam for its entire length. It is the only major system in California to do so.
The Smith River National Recreation Area (NRA) is located in the northwest corner of California and is managed by the Six Rivers National Forest. The NRA was created to protect the area’s special scenic value, natural diversity, cultural and historical attributes, wilderness, wildlife, fisheries and the Smith River watershed’s clean waters.