List of rivers of Colorado
Wikimedia list article
This is a list of rivers and streams in the U.S. State of Colorado.
Alphabetical list
Tributary chart
Alphabetical list
The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, the total extent of the stream's drainage basin is shown after the name. The names of the 17 Colorado rivers with a drainage basin of more than 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 sq mi), about three times the area of Rhode Island, are shown in bold.
Adams Fork Conejos River
Adobe Creek
Alamosa River 383 km2 (148 mi2)
Animas River 3,562 km2 (1,375 mi2)
Apishapa River 2,798 km2 (1,080 mi2)
Arikaree River 4,429 km2 (1,710 mi2)
Arkansas River 478,501 km2 (184,750 mi2)
Aspen Brook
Badger Creek
Bear Creek 4,500 km2 (1,737 mi2)
Bear Creek 339 km2 (131 mi2)
Bear River
Beaver Creek 2,939 km2 (1,135 mi2)
Beaver Creek (Arkansas River tributary)
Big Dry Creek (Littleton, Colorado)
Big Dry Creek (Westminster, Colorado)
Big Sandy Creek 4,825 km2 (1,863 mi2)
Big Thompson River 2,149 km2 (830 mi2)
Bijou Creek 3,612 km2 (1,395 mi2)
Blue Creek
Blue River 1,770 km2 (683 mi2)
Box Elder Creek
Boulder Creek (1,160 km2 (448 mi2)
Cache la Poudre River 4,959 km2 (1,915 mi2)
Canadian River 122,701 km2 (47,375 mi2)
Canadian River
Carnero Creek
Castle Creek
Cattle Creek
Cebolla Creek
Chalk Creek
Cherry Creek 1,050 km2 (405 mi2)
Chico Creek 1,934 km2 (747 mi2)
Cimarron River 44,890 km2 (17,332 mi2)
Cimarron River
Clear Creek 1,497 km2 (578 mi2)
Cochetopa Creek
Colorado River(637,137 km2 (246,000 mi2)
Conejos River 2,078 km2 (802 mi2)
Crow Creek 3,717 km2 (1,435 mi2)
Crystal River
Cucharas River
Culebra Creek
Deep Creek
Dolores River 11,998 km2 (4,633 mi2)
Dry Fork Michigan River
Eagle River 2,515 km2 (971 mi2)
East Fork Arkansas River
East Fork Cimarron River
East Fork Eagle River
East Fork Little Cimarron River
East Fork Navajo River
East Fork Piedra River
East Fork Rio Chama
East Fork San Juan River
East Fork South Fork Crystal River
East Fork Williams Fork
East Mancos River
East River 762 km2 (294 mi2)
Elk Creek
Elk River
Encampment River
Fall River
Fall River
First Fork Piedra River
First Fork South Fork Piney River
Florida River
Fountain Creek 2,418 km2 (933 mi2)
Fraser River
Frenchman Creek 7,398 km2 (2,856 mi2)
Fryingpan River
Geneva Creek
Gore Creek
Grape Creek
Green River (115,903 km2 (44,750 mi2)
Greenhorn Creek
Gunnison River (20,851 km2 (8,051 mi2)
Henson Creek
Hermosa Creek
Hidden River
Hill Branch Cucharas River
Homestake Creek
Horse Creek 3,680 km2 (1,421 mi2)
Huerfano River 4,840 km2 (1,869 mi2)
Illinois River
Kettle Creek
King Arroyo
Kiowa Creek 1,888 km2 (729 mi2)
La Plata River
Ladder Creek 3,645 km2 (1,407 mi2)
Lake Fork (Arkansas River tributary)
Lake Fork Gunnison River
Laramie River 11,961 km2 (4,618 mi2)
Left Hand Creek
Lincoln Creek
Little Beaver Creek 1,602 km2 (619 mi2)
Little Cimarron River
Little Dolores River
Little Dry Creek
Little Navajo River
Little Snake River 10,629 km2 (4,104 mi2)
Little Thompson River
Lodgepole Creek 8,374 km2 (3,233 mi2)
Lone Tree Creek
Los Pinos River
Mancos River 2,099 km2 (810 mi2)
Marshall Creek
McElmo Creek 1,842 km2 (711 mi2)
Michigan River
Middle Fork Cimarron River
Middle Fork Conejos River
Middle Fork Elk River
Middle Fork Little Snake River
Middle Fork Piedra River
Middle Fork Purgatoire River
Middle Fork South Arkansas River
Middle Fork South Platte River
Middle Fork Swan River
Middle Mancos River
Montezuma Creek 3,044 km2 (1,175 mi2)
Muddy Creek
Navajo River
North Branch Conejos River
North Fork Animas River
North Fork Apishapa River
North Fork Arikaree River
North Fork Big Thompson River
North Fork Cache la Poudre River
North Fork Canadian River
North Fork Cimarron River 4,462 km2 (1,723 mi2)
North Fork Conejos River
North Fork Crystal River
North Fork Elk River
North Fork Fryingpan River
North Fork Gunnison River 2,492 km2 (962 mi2)
North Fork Little Snake River
North Fork Little Thompson River
North Fork Los Pinos River
North Fork Michigan River
North Fork North Platte River
North Fork Piney River
North Fork Purgatoire River
North Fork Republican River 13,172 km2 (5,086 mi2)
North Fork Rio de los Pinos
North Fork Smoky Hill River 1,965 km2 (759 mi2)
North Fork Snake River
North Fork South Arkansas River
North Fork South Platte River
North Fork Swan River
North Fork Vermejo River
North Fork West Branch Laramie River
North Fork West Mancos River
North Fork White River
North Platte River 80,755 km2 (31,180 mi2)
North Saint Charles River
Ohio Creek
Owl Creek
Parachute Creek
Pawnee Creek 1,875 km2 (724 mi2)
Piceance Creek 1,630 km2 (629 mi2)
Piedra River 1,770 km2 (683 mi2)
Piney River
Plateau Creek
Plum Creek
Purgatoire River 8,923 km2 (3,445 mi2)
Quartz Creek
Ralston Creek
Rio Blanco
Rio Chama 8,204 km2 (3,168 mi2)
Rio Chamita
Rio de los Pinos
Rio Grande 457,275 km2 (176,555 mi2)
Rio Lado
Rio San Antonio
Rito Seco
Roan Creek
Roaring Fork Little Snake River
Roaring Fork River 3,766 km2 (1,454 mi2)
Roaring River
Rush Creek 3,570 km2 (1,378 mi2)
Saguache Creek 3,482 km2 (1,345 mi2)
Saint Charles River
Saint Louis Creek
Saint Vrain Creek 2,572 km2 (993 mi2)
Salt Creek
San Juan River 64,560 km2 (24,927 mi2)
San Luis Creek 7,000 km2 (2,703 mi2)
San Miguel River 4,060 km2 (1,567 mi2)
Sand Arroyo Creek 1,938 km2 (748 mi2)
Sand Creek (Adams County)
Sand Creek (Colorado Springs)
Sand Creek (Larimer County)
Sangre de Cristo Creek (Costilla County)
Shooks Run
Sidney Draw 1,949 km2 (753 mi2)
Slate River
Smith Fork
Smoky Hill River 51,783 km2 (19,994 mi2)
Snake River
Snowmass Creek
South Arkansas River
South Fork Animas River
South Fork Beaver Creek 1,939 km2 (749 mi2)
South Fork Cache la Poudre River
South Fork Canadian River
South Fork Conejos River
South Fork Crystal River
South Fork Cucharas River
South Fork Eagle River
South Fork Elk River
South Fork Fryingpan River
South Fork Huerfano River
South Fork Little Snake River
South Fork Michigan River
South Fork Piney River
South Fork Purgatoire River
South Fork Republican River 7,195 km2 (2,778 mi2)
South Fork Rio Grande
South Fork San Miguel River
South Fork South Platte River
South Fork Swan River
South Fork West Mancos River
South Fork White River
South Platte River 62,738 km2 (24,223 mi2)
Spring Creek
Spruce Creek
Stollsteimer Creek
Stoner Creek
Swan River
Tarryall Creek
Taylor River 1,258 km2 (486 mi2)
Tenmile Creek
Tennessee Creek
Threemile Creek
Tomichi Creek 2,874 km2 (1,109 mi2)
Trinchera Creek
Two Butte Creek 2,107 km2 (814 mi2)
Uncompahgre River 2,921 km2 (1,128 mi2)
Vermillion Creek 2,500 km2 (965 mi2)
West Branch Laramie River
West Dolores River
West Fork Animas River
West Fork Cimarron River
West Fork East Fork Williams Fork
West Fork Elk River
West Fork Encampment River
West Fork Little Thompson River
West Fork North Fork Purgatoire River
West Fork Rio Chama
West Fork San Juan River
West Mancos River
White River 12,989 km2 (5,015 mi2)
White Woman Creek 3,000 km2 (1,158 mi2)
Williams Fork (Colorado River tributary)
Williams Fork (Yampa River tributary)
Willow Creek
Wind River
Woody Creek
Wolf Creek
Yampa River 21,506 km2 (8,304 mi2)
Yellow Creek 760 km2 (293 mi2)
Notes
Of the 158 named rivers that flow through the State of Colorado, all but the Green River and Cimarron River have their headwaters in that state.
As of February 1, 2008, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names had identified 5,564 natural streams in the State of Colorado. Of this number, 147 larger streams (2.6%) were named river and 11 (0.2%) were named rio. The vast majority of the Colorado streams (5082 or 91.3%) were named creek. Of the remaining Colorado streams, 122 (2.2%) were named arroyo, 60 (1.1%) were named wash, 44 (0.8%) were named fork, 18 (0.3%) were named branch, 17 (0.3%) were named brook, 17 (0.3%) were named run, 15 (0.3%) were named rito, 10 (0.2%) were named slough, but not a single stream was named stream. Perhaps the most unusual river name in Colorado belongs to the West Fork East Fork Williams Fork located in Garfield County.
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