List of tributaries of the Colorado River
Encyclopedia
The principal tributaries of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

  of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 are the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...

, the San Juan River, the Green River
Green River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...

, and the Gunnison River
Gunnison River
The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...

.

Tributary tree

The following is a tree demonstrating the points at which the major tributaries of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...

 branch off from the main river and from each other.
  • (Source-upstream)
    • Fraser River
      Fraser River (Colorado)
      The Fraser River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. It drains large portion of the Middle Park basin in Grand County in the Rocky Mountains west of Boulder and southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. It rises at the...

    • Muddy Creek
      Muddy Creek (Colorado)
      Muddy Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States.It rises in northwestern Grand County, in the Routt National Forest west of Rabbit Ears Pass at the continental divide. It flows south, east, then southwest, and joins the Colorado...

    • Blue River
      Blue River (Colorado)
      The Blue River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.It rises in southern Summit County, on the western side of the continental divide in the Ten Mile Range, near Quandary Peak. It flows north past Blue River and Breckenridge, then through the...

      • Snake River
        Snake River (Colorado)
        The Snake River is a short tributary of the Blue River, approximately 15 miles long, in central Colorado in the United States. It drains a mountainous area on the west side of the Front Range in southeastern Summit County east of Keystone....

      • Tenmile Creek
    • Eagle River
      Eagle River (Colorado)
      The Eagle River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States.It rises in southeastern Eagle County, at the continental divide, and flows northwest past Gilman, Minturn, Avon...

      • Gore Creek
        Gore Creek (Colorado)
        Gore Creek is a tributary of the Eagle River, approximately long, in Eagle County in central Colorado in the United States. It drains an area of the Rocky Mountains at the south end of the Gore Range through Vail Valley. It rises on the Eagle County-Summit County border along the high crest of the...

    • Roaring Fork River
      Roaring Fork River
      Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or Roaring Fork Watershed, which includes the resort...

      • Fryingpan River
        Fryingpan River
        The Fryingpan River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States.It rises in northeastern Pitkin County, in the White River National Forest in the Sawatch Mountains along the western side of the continental divide. It flows westward...

      • Crystal River
        Crystal River (Colorado)
        The Crystal River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately 40 mi long, in western Colorado in the United States. It drains a glacial valley, called the Valley of the Coal Miners, south of Carbondale which was historically known as a center of coal mining in southwestern Colorado...

    • Plateau Creek
      Plateau Creek (Colorado)
      Plateau Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, located in western Colorado in the United States. It drains a lush cattle ranching valley, known as the Plateau Valley, north of the Grand Mesa and east of Grand Junction....

    • Gunnison River
      Gunnison River
      The Gunnison River is a tributary of the Colorado River, long, in the Southwest state of Colorado. It is the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River, with a mean flow of 4320 ft³/s .-Description:...

      • East River
        East River (Colorado)
        East River is a stream in central Colorado. It flows south from Emerald Lake in the Maroon Bells Wilderness to a confluence with the Taylor River that forms the Gunnison River....

      • Taylor River
        Taylor River (Colorado)
        The Taylor River rises close to Castle Peak in Colorado’s Elk Mountains in the northeast part of Gunnison County, near the Continental Divide....

      • Uncompahgre River
        Uncompahgre River
        The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the...

      • North Fork Gunnison River
        North Fork Gunnison River
        The North Fork Gunnison River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. It drains part of the southwestern flank of the Elk Mountains northeast of Delta....

    • Dolores River
      Dolores River
      The Dolores River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah....

      • San Miguel River
        San Miguel River (Colorado)
        The San Miguel River is a tributary of the Dolores River, approximately 90 mi long in southwestern Colorado in the United States...

    • Green River
      Green River (Utah)
      The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...

      • Big Sandy River
        Big Sandy River (Wyoming)
        right|thumb|300px|Big Sandy Creek, WyomingThe Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Green River in Wyoming in the United States....

      • Blacks Fork
        Blacks Fork
        Blacks Fork is a tributary of the Green River in Utah and Wyoming. The river rises on the northern side of the Uinta Mountains as the combination of three streams draining the area around Tokewanna Peak near the Utah-Wyoming border...

      • Henry's Fork
      • Sheep Creek
      • Carter Creek
      • Cart Creek
      • Yampa River
        Yampa River
        The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It's located in the Southwestern United States...

        • Elk River
          Elk River (Colorado)
          Elk River is a stream in Colorado. It flows from a confluence of the North Fork Elk River and Middle Fork Elk River in Routt National Forest north of Steamboat Springs to a confluence with the Yampa River....

        • Little Snake River
          Little Snake River
          The Little Snake River is a tributary of the Yampa River, approximately 150 mi long, in southwestern Wyoming and northwestern Colorado in the United States....

      • Jones Hole Creek
      • Duchesne River
        Duchesne River
        The Duchesne River, located in Uintah Basin region of Utah in the western United States, is a tributary of the Green River. The watershed of the river covers the Northeastern corner of Utah...

      • White River
        White River (Utah)
        The White River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Colorado and Utah. Flows vary from 450 ft³/s late summers in dry years to well over 12,000 ft³/s in spring....

      • Willow River
      • Price River
        Price River
        The Price River is a river in the state of Utah, in the United States. The river originates in the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah and flows southeastward through Price Canyon, alongside U.S. Route 6, to the cities of Helper and Price...

        • Range Creek
          Range Creek
          Range Creek, rising in the Book Cliffs in Emery County, Utah, is a high tributary of the Colorado River. It flows into the Price River near Price, Utah. The Price then flows into the Green River, a major tributary of the Colorado...

      • San Rafael River
    • Dark Canyon
      Dark Canyon Wilderness
      Dark Canyon Wilderness, in the heart of southeast Utah's canyon country, is named for its high steep walls that narrow in the lower section so that they block the light in the morning and late afternoon...

    • Dirty Devil River
      Dirty Devil River
      The Dirty Devil River is a long tributary of the Colorado River, located in the U.S. state of Utah. It flows through southern Utah from the confluence of Fremont River and Muddy Creek to the Colorado River.-Course:...

      • Muddy Creek
        Muddy Creek (Utah)
        Muddy Creek is a stream which drains portions of Emery and Wayne Counties in central Utah, in the western United States. It begins on the eastern slopes of the Wasatch Plateau at elevations above 10,500 feet . It turns southward near the town of Emery, then southeastward where it crosses under...

      • Fremont River
        Fremont River (Utah)
        The Fremont River in Utah flows from the Johnson Valley Reservoir, which is located on the Wasatch Plateau near Fish Lake, southwest through Capitol Reef National Park to the Muddy Creek near Hanksville where the two rivers combine to form the Dirty Devil River, a tributary of the Colorado River...

    • Escalante River
      Escalante River
      right|Location of the Escalante River within UtahThe Escalante River is a tributary of the Colorado River. It is formed by the confluence of North and Birch Creeks near the town of Escalante in south-central Utah, and from there flows southeast for approximately before joining Lake Powell...

    • San Juan River
      • Conejos River
        Conejos River
        The Conejos River is a tributary of the Rio Grande, approximately long, in south-central Colorado in the United States. It drains a scenic area of the eastern San Juan Mountains west of the San Luis Valley.-Description:...

      • Piedra River
      • Animas River
        Animas River
        Animas River is a river in the western United States, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System. The Spanish named the river "Rio de las Animas Perdidas", "River of the Lost Souls". It is also the last free-flowing river in Colorado. The river's free-flowing status...

        • Florida River
          Florida River
          Florida River is a tributary of the Animas River in La Plata County, Colorado. The river's source is Lillie Lake in the Weminuche Wilderness. It joins the Animas River south of Durango on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation near the New Mexico state line....

      • Grand Gulch
    • Paria River
      Paria River
      The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part of its course....

    • Little Colorado River
      Little Colorado River
      The Little Colorado River is a river in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico...

      • Puerco River
        Puerco River
        The Puerco River in northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona flows through arid terrain including the Painted Desert. The main tributary of the Little Colorado River, it drains an area of about and is long. The river's average discharge is very low, less than in normal years, because its...

    • Bright Angel Creek
      Bright Angel Creek
      Bright Angel Creek is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park at the end of the Bright Angel Trail on the north side of the Colorado River.-External links:**...

    • Tapeats Creek
      • Thunder River
    • Deer Creek
      Deer Creek (Arizona)
      Deer Creek is a stream that flows through the western Grand Canyon to the Colorado River. A series of springs provide a continuous base flow to Deer Creek. During periods of intense rainfall, Deer Creek can experience severe flash flooding...

    • Kanab Creek
      Kanab Creek
      Kanab Creek is one of the many tributaries of the Grand Canyon. It begins in Kane County, Utah, just south of the watershed to the Great Basin and flows south to the Colorado River. It passes Kanab, Utah, crossing the border to Arizona near Fredonia...

    • Havasu Creek
    • Diamond Creek
      Diamond Creek (Arizona)
      Diamond Creek is an intermittent stream that flows through the Hualapai tribal reservation generally north from Peach Springs, Arizona to the Colorado River.- Diamond Creek Road :...

    • Virgin River
      Virgin River
      The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.-Course:...

      • Meadow Valley Wash
        Meadow Valley Wash
        The Meadow Valley Wash is a southern Nevada stream draining the Meadow Watershed that is bordered on 3 sides by the Great Basin Divide. The wash's Lincoln County headpoint is in the Wilson Creek Range, and the wash includes 2 upper confluences . Panaca is along the upper wash, and downstream of...

      • Muddy River
        Muddy River
        The Muddy River, formerly known as the Moapa River, is a short river located in the southern part of the state in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is in the Mojave Desert, approximately 60 miles north of Las Vegas.-Geography:...

    • Las Vegas Wash
      Las Vegas Wash
      Las Vegas Wash is a 12 mile-long channel which feeds most of Las Vegas Valley's excess water into Lake Mead. The wash is sometimes called an urban river, and it exists in its present capacity because of an urban population. The wash also works in a systemic conjunction with the pre-existing...

    • Bill Williams River
      Bill Williams River
      The Bill Williams River is a river in western-central Arizona in Mohave County; the river proper is the northern border of La Paz County which it drains in the north, as well as areas of far western Yavapai County...

      • Santa Maria River
        Santa Maria River (Arizona)
        The Santa Maria River is an intermittent stream located in western Arizona. It is a primary tributary of the Bill Williams River and one of the main sources of inflow for Alamo Lake...

      • Big Sandy River
        Big Sandy River (Arizona)
        The Big Sandy River is in northwestern Arizona in Mohave County. It begins where Cottonwood Wash and Trout Creek converge in the Hualapai Indian Reservation near Hualapai Peak then flows past Wikieup south of Kingman. It has a length of and joins the Santa Maria River to form Bill Williams River...

    • Gila River
      Gila River
      The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...

      • San Francisco River
        San Francisco River
        The San Francisco River is a river in the southwest United States, the largest tributary of the Upper Gila River. The river originates in Arizona and flows into New Mexico before it curves around and enters the Gila down stream from Clifton, Arizona....

      • San Pedro River
        San Pedro River (Arizona)
        San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. It is one of only two rivers which flow north from Mexico into the United States. The river flows north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and...

      • Santa Cruz River
      • Salt River
        Salt River (Arizona)
        The Salt River is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the largest tributary of the Gila River. The river is about long. Its drainage basin is about large. The longest of the Salt River's many tributaries is the Verde River...

        • Black River
          Black River (Arizona)
          The Black River is a river in the White Mountains of Arizona, USA, to the west of Alpine. Along with the Whiteriver, it forms the Salt River, a major tributary of the Gila River.It was named by James Ohio Pattie in 1826 as he explored the area....

        • Tonto Creek
          Tonto Creek
          Tonto Creek is a stream located in the Mogollon Rim area of the state of Arizona on the north edge of the Tonto National Forest. The closest town, Payson, is away. Tonto Creek is a stream that flows year round, starting just below the Mogollon Rim, at the northern edge of Tonto National Forest...

        • Verde River
          Verde River
          The Verde River is the north and northwestern watershed of the Salt River–Verde River Watershed that co-join and enter the Gila River at Phoenix, Arizona, located in the U.S. state of Arizona...

          • Oak Creek
      • Agua Fria River
        Agua Fria River (Arizona)
        The Agua Fria River is a 120 mi/193 km long intermittent stream that flows generally south from 20 miles east northeast of Prescott, Arizona, USA. Prescott draws much of its municipal water supply from the upper Agua Fria drainage. The Agua Fria runs through the Agua Fria National Monument...

      • Hassayampa River
        Hassayampa River
        The Hassayampa River is a mostly underground river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, Arizona, and flows mostly south towards Wickenburg entering the Gila River near Hassayampa, Arizona...

    • Hardy River
      Hardy River
      The Hardy River is a -long Mexican river formed by residual agricultural waters from the Mexicali Valley and running into the Colorado River.-Wildlife:The Rio Hardy is home to a variety of wildlife, including the mosquitofish and the sailfin molly....

  • Gulf of California
    Gulf of California
    The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...

    -(Sea of Cortez)
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