The McCloud River drainage is located in northeastern California. The McCloud River CRMP area is divided into two segments: the lower McCloud and upper McCloud areas. The CRMP area is essentially the area visible from the river, ridgetop to ridgetop.

Lower McCloud: This segment covers the McCloud River and Squaw Valley Creek drainages from Shasta Lake north to Lake McCloud on the river and to Cabin Creek on Squaw Valley Creek. The east boundary extends up to approximately one mile on the east side of the river. The west boundary extends up to four miles from the river and Squaw Valley Creek.

Upper McCloud: This segment generally encompasses the inner-gorge area of the river from Lake McCloud upstream to Algoma Campground.