We investigated two essential population viability metrics of salmonids in the Smith River basin (Oregon and California), with ESA listed coho salmon as the focal species. First, we monitored adult salmonid escapement and distribution for two consecutive years (2011‐2013) using live fish, carcass, and redd counts as defined in California’s Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan. Second, we developed a new protocol for monitoring the summer spatial structure of juvenile salmonids and adult coastal cutthroat trout during the summers of 2012 and 2013 using multiple‐pass snorkel surveys in an occupancy modeling framework.