Rivers in the United States

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The United States has over 250 thousand rivers, totaling about 3.5 million miles (5.6 million km) of waterways.

The map below shows all the rivers in the United States.

The ocean drainage basins of the United States play a pivotal role in channeling freshwater from various sources into the oceans. The Atlantic Ocean drainage basin, encompassing the East Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Midwest, is fed by rivers like the Mississippi and the Great Lakes. On the West Coast, the Pacific Ocean drainage basin includes rivers such as the Columbia and the Sacramento-San Joaquin, influencing ecosystems and water resources in the western part of the country.

Here is the map created by Reddit user Fejetlenfe, which shows the ocean drainage basin map of the United States.

Below is a detailed interactive map of the United States’ complex system of rivers color-coded based on the direction of each river flow created by Andrew Hill. In his interview with New Scientist, Andrew said: “There are 18 distinct colors around the compass. True pink, for example, represents a river that runs north-south or south-north. The colors tend to blend in when zoomed far out, as in the main image. But as you zoom in, pinks, blues, greens, and reds jump out at you, as seen in the inset photo below, of the region just north of Los Angeles”.

The longest river in the United States is the Missouri River (a tributary of the Mississippi River). It is 2,540 miles (4,088 kilometers) long. But the largest in terms of water volume is the deeper Mississippi River. The longest undammed river in the United States is the Yellowstone River. The length of this river is 692 miles (1,548 kilometers).

The longest rivers in the U.S. include 38 with main stems of at least 500 miles (800 km) long.

Name	Flows Into		Lingth, km2	Watershed area, sq mi	Watershed area, sq km
Missouri River	Mississippi River	2,341	3,768	529,353	1,371,017
Mississippi River	Gulf of Mexico	2,340	3,766	1,260,000	3,270,000
Yukon River	Bering Sea	1,979	3,190	324,000	839,200
Rio Grande	Gulf of Mexico	1,759	2,830	340,000	870,000
Colorado River	Gulf of California	1,450	2,330	248,000	642,000
Arkansas River	Mississippi River	1,443	2,322	160,200	414,910
Columbia River	Pacific Ocean	1,243	2,000	279,548	724,024
Red River	Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers	1,125	1,811	65,590	169,890
Snake River	Columbia River	1,040	1,674	108,000	281,000
Ohio River	Mississippi River	979	1,575	204,000	529,000
Colorado River of Texas	Gulf of Mexico	970	1,560	39,900	103,341
Tennessee River	Ohio River	935	1,504	40,880	105,870
Canadian River	Arkansas River	906	1,458	47,130	122,070
Brazos River	Gulf of Mexico	860	1,390	44,620	115,566
Green River	Colorado River	760	1,230	44,900	116,200
Pecos River	Rio Grande	730	1,175	44,000	113,960
White River (Arkansas)	Mississippi River	720	1,159	27,872	72,189
James River	Missouri River	710	1,140	20,942	54,240
Kuskokwim River	Bering Sea	702	1,130	48,000	124,319
Cimarron River	Arkansas River	698	1,123	19,510	50,540
Cumberland River	Ohio River	696	1,120	17,930	46,430
Yellowstone River	Missouri River	678	1,091	70,400	182,336
North Platte River	Platte River	665	1,070	34,885	90,352
Milk River	Missouri River	625	1,005	22,332	57,839
Ouachita River	Black River	605	974	24,886	64,454
Saint Lawrence River	Gulf of Saint Lawrence	600	965	620,000	1,600,000
Gila River	Colorado River	600	960	57,850	149,832
Sheyenne River	Red River of the North	591	951	8,800	23,000
Tanana River	Yukon River	584	940	44,000	114,000
Smoky Hill River	Kansas River	576	927	19,260	49,900
Niobrara River	Missouri River	568	914	12,600	32,600
Little Missouri River	Missouri River	560	900	8,310	21,500
Sabine River	Gulf of Mexico	553	890	9,756	25,268
Red River of the North	Lake Winnipeg	550	890	111,000	287,500
Des Moines River	Mississippi River	525	845	12,018	31,127
White River (Missouri River)	Missouri River	506	815	10,200	26,418
Trinity River	Galveston Bay	506	815	17,970	46,540
Wabash River	Ohio River	503	810	32,950	85,340

Fascinating Facts

• There are over 250,000 rivers in the U.S.
• The longest river is the Missouri River (2,540 miles or 4,088 kilometers long)
• The Mississippi is the deepest and most voluminous river. 
• The longest undammed river in the country is the Yellowstone River (692 miles or 1,114 kilometers long)
• The New River in West Virginia is the oldest in the U.S. The only river that is older worldwide is the Nile. 
• 3,500,000 miles (5,632,704 kilometers) of river flow across this country
• At the beginning 1900s, engineers reversed the flow of the Chicago River. It still flows back to this day.
• The New Madrid Earthquakes (1811 – 1812) temporarily reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.
• There are about 8,100 dams in the U.S.
• In 2009, a U.S. Airways pilot successfully landed a passenger aircraft on the Hudson River after birds flew into the engine. No one died.
• The 15 U.S. states that share their name with a river are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Most of these names have Native American ancestry.
• Four state capitals are located on the banks of the Missouri River, while only two state capitals are located on the Mississippi River.

• The Mississippi-Missouri river system is one of the longest river systems in the world, with a combined length of over 3,700 miles. It serves as a major transportation artery and is crucial for agriculture in the Midwest.
• The Colorado River carved out the iconic Grand Canyon over millions of years. Its course through the canyon showcases stunning geological formations and is a popular destination for river rafting.
• The Mississippi River Delta is one of the largest deltas in North America. It not only supports diverse ecosystems, but is also a vital area for fisheries and bird habitats.
• Often referred to as the “Amazon of North America,” the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana is the largest river swamp in the United States. It’s a unique and ecologically rich area, home to a variety of wildlife.
• The Hudson River, flowing through New York, played a crucial role in the development of the Erie Canal, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. This canal significantly facilitated trade and transportation in the 19th century.
• The Snake River in the Pacific Northwest flows through Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America, deeper even than the Grand Canyon.
• The Missouri River is the longest river in North America, originating in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. Its course traverses diverse landscapes, from mountainous terrain to the expansive Great Plains.
• The Potomac River runs through the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Its waterfront is home to famous landmarks such as the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument.
• The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California is a critical hub for water supply, providing freshwater to agricultural regions and serving as a habitat for various species.
• The Rio Grande forms a significant portion of the U.S.-Mexico border. Its waters are essential for agriculture in the region and have cultural significance for communities on both sides of the border.

Want more? You can learn more about the rivers of the United States from the following maps and books:

• US Hydrological Map
• The Source: How Rivers Made America and America Remade Its Rivers
• Ken Schultz’s Field Guide to Freshwater Fish