Longest Rivers in USA


What Are the Longest Rivers in USA 🇺🇸 Canada 🇨🇦 North America?

The longest rivers in USA is the Missouri River. We’ve also included the 25 next longest rivers across North America which includes Canada and Mexico. Compiling the longest rivers in USA list means we have to define the source and the mouth of each river.

This is tricky because the source may be a tributary which has a different name. For example, the Jefferson River is a Missouri tributary which then flows into the Mississippi and so on. Taken together, these three would be much longer than the Mississippi alone.

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Longest Rivers in USA & CAN Length (Miles) Length (km) Source Mouth Flows through Longest tributaries #
Missouri River 2,341 3,767 Hell Roaring Creek near Brower‘s Spring, Montana Mississippi River, Spanish Lake near St. Louis, Missouri Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri James River, Yellowstone, Milk River, Platte River, Niobrara, Little Missouri, White River 1
Mississippi River 2,320 3,734 Lake Itasca, Clear Water County, Minnesota Gulf of Mexico at Pilottown, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana Missouri, Arkansas River, Red River, Ohio River, White River, Des Moines River 2
Yukon River 1,981 3,190 Llewellyn Glacier, Juneau Icefield near Atlin Lake, British Columbia, CAN Bering Sea at Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, USA British Columbia, Yukon Territory, Alaska Tanana River, Porcupine, Pelly, Stewart, Innoko, Koyukuk River 3
Rio Grande 1,896 3,050 Canby Mountain, San Juan Mountains, Colorado Gulf of Mexico near Matamoros, Tamaulipasm (Mex) Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León Pecos River, San Juan River, Rio Conchos, Rio Puerco, Rio Chama 4
Arkansas River 1,469 2,364 Confluence of East Fork Arkansas River and Tennessee Creek near Leadville, Rocky Mountains, Colorado Mississippi River near Napoleon, Arkansas Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas Canadian River, Cimarron River, Neosho, Verdigris, Pawnee 5
Colorado River 1,450 2,335 Rocky Mountains, La Poudre Pass, Colorado Gulf of California near Sonora (Mex) Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, Sonora Green River, Gila River, San Juan River, Little Colorado, Dolores 6
Red River 1,360 2,189 Confluence of Prairie Dog Town Fork & Buck Creek at Harmon County, Oklahoma Atchafalaya River and Mississippi near West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana Ouachita River, Washita River, Little River, Salt Fork Red River 7
Columbia River 1,243 2,000 Columbia Lake, British Columbia (CAN) Pacific Ocean near Clatsop County, Oregon British Columbia, Washington, Oregon Snake River, Willamette River, Kootenay, Pend Oreille River 8
Mackenzie River
Canada		 1,080 1,738 Great Slave Lake near Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, CAN Arctic Ocean, Beaufort Sea near Inuvik, CAN Northwest Territories (CAN) Liard River, Peel River, Arctic Red River, Redstone River 9
Snake River 1,078 1,735 Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming Columbia River near Franklin County, Washington Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Salmon River, Owyhee River, Salmon Falls Creek, Grande Ronde River, Malheur River 10
Ohio River 980 1,578 Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, Ohio Mississippi near Cairo, Illinois Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois Kentucky River, Green River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Wabash River 11
Canadian River 906 1,458 Rocky Mountains, Las Animas County, Colorado Arkansas River at Haskell County, Oklahoma Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma North Canadian River, Little River, Deep Fork River 12
Colorado River of Texas 862 1,387 Dawson County, Texas Gulf of Mexico at Matagorda County, Texas Texas Pedernales River, Llano River, Concho River, Pecan Bayou, San Saba River 13
Brazos River 840 1,352 Llano Estacado, New Mexico Gulf of Mexico near Brazoria County, Texas New Mexico, Texas Leon River, San Gabriel River, Navasota River 14
Saint Lawrence River
Canada		 744 1,197 Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario, CAN Atlantic Ocean at Gulf of Saint Lawrence, CAN Ontario, Quebec, New York 15
Green River 730 1,175 Wind River Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Wyoming Colorado River near San Juan County, Utah Wyoming, Colorado, Utah New Fork River, Blacks Fork, Yampa River, White River, 16
Pecos River 730 1,175 Pecos Falls near Pecos, New Mexico Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas New Mexico, Texas Hondo River, Penasco River, Felix River, Aqua Negra 17
Milk River 729 1,173 Confluence of South & Middle Forks at Glacier County, Montana Missouri River at Valley County, Montana Montana, Alberta (CAN) 18
White River of Arkansas 722 1,162 Boston Mountains, Madison County, Arkansas Mississippi, Desha County, Arkansas Arkansas, Missouri James River, Buffalo River, Bayou des Arc, Little Red River 19
North Platte River 716 1,152 Confluence of Grizzly & Little Grizzly Creeks in Jackson County, Colorado Platte River in Lincoln County, Nebraska Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska Sweetwater River, Medicine Bow River, Laramie River 20
James River
aka Jim River or Dakota River		 710 1,143 Wells County, North Dakota Missouri River at Yankton County near Yankton, South Dakota North Dakota, South Dakota Pipestem River, Elm River, Firesteel Creek 21
Kuskokwim River 702 1,130 Confluence of East, North & South Forks near Medfra, Alaska Bering Sea, Kuskokwim Bay near Eak, Alsaka Alaska Stony River, Holitna River, Big River, Kwethluk River 22
Cimarron River 698 1,123 Confluence of Dry Cimarron River & Carrizozo Creek near Kenton, Oklahoma Arkansas River, Keystone Lake near Tulsa, Oklahoma Oklahoma Panhandle, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma 23
Yellowstone River 692 1,114 Confluence of North + South Forks at Absaroka Range, Wyoming Missouri River, McKenzie County near Buford, North Dakota Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota Bighorn River, Tongue River, Powder River 24
Cumberland River 688 1,107 Confluence of Clover Fork & Martins Fork near Baxter, Kentucky Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky Kentucky, Tennessee Red River, Caney Fork, Stones River, Obey River 25
Tennessee River 652 1,049 Confluence of French Broad & Holston River at Knoxville, Tennessee Ohio River, Kentucky Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky 26

See also: Highest Waterfalls…

Missouri river, one of the longest rivers in USA & Canada

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