Colorado River

southwestern-usa · geography · water-power

Rocky Mountain Start. The Colorado River begins high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows 1,450 miles across the American Southwest, making it the 5th longest river in the United States.

Colored Reddish Water. The river's name comes from Spanish words meaning "colored reddish" because it carries so much reddish silt and sediment from the land it flows through.

Carves the Grand Canyon. As the Colorado River flows southwest across the Colorado Plateau, it has carved one of the world's most spectacular canyons, the Grand Canyon, with its powerful current over millions of years.

Seven States Depend On It. The Colorado River's watershed includes parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states, making it a critical source of water for millions of people in this dry region.

From Mountains to Gulf. The river flows from the Rocky Mountains, through the Grand Canyon, into Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border, then south across the international border into Mexico toward the Gulf of California.