Longest U.S. Rivers
On August 12, 1805, Captain Meriwether Lewis of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition climbed a ridge near the Continental Divide and “the most distant fountain of the waters of the Mighty Missouri, in search of which we have spent so many toilsome days and restless nights.” The expedition had spent weeks trekking to the headwaters of the Missouri, one of the world’s great rivers.
The United States is blessed with more than 250,000 rivers and streams—3.5 million miles of rivers in all—including a dozen exceeding 1,000 miles in length.
Length Origin Mouth
Missouri River 2,540 miles Montana Mississippi Rive (near St. Louis)
Mississippi River 2,340 miles Minnesota Gulf of Mexico
Yukon River 1,980 miles British Columbia Bering Sea
Rio Grande 1,900 miles Colorado Gulf of Mexico
St. Lawrence River 1,900 miles Lake Ontario Gulf od St. Lawrence
Arkansas River 1,460 miles Colorado Mississippi River (in Arkansas)
Colorado River 1,450 miles Colorado Gulf of California
Ohio River 1,310 miles Pennsylvania Mississippi River (at Cairo, Illinois)
Red River 1,290 miles Texas Atchafalaya River (in Louisiana)
Brazos River 1,280 miles Texas Gulf of Mexico
Columbia River 1,240 miles British Columbia Pacific Ocean (at Astoria, Oregon)
Snake River 1,040 miles Yellowstone Nat. Park Columbia River (in Washington)
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