Smith River has falls & a campground
World File Photo
Smith River is just 75 miles long from start to finish. Its origin is the Oregon Coast Range near Cottage Grove, unlike the Umpqua, which originates in the Cascades.
The river dumps into the Umpqua near Gardiner before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. Tides affect the lower part of the river, and it makes for great fall Chinook salmon fishing.
The falls are a popular destination for locals to escape summer heat. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management campground offers a peaceful riverside setting in the shade of towering trees.
The campground is past the falls themselves, with eight tent or trailer sites and vault toilets, but no water.
The Smith River is paralleled by aptly-named Smith River Road for much of the way, then by Douglas County Road No. 48, which is mostly gravel past the falls. Smith River Road intersects with U.S. Highway 101 just north of Reedsport, before Gardiner.
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