Columbia River

rivers · Pacific Northwest · water power

Starts in the Rockies. The Columbia River begins high up in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, where cold snowmelt feeds its powerful currents.

Huge water flow. The Columbia is the fourth-largest river in the United States by how much water it carries, and it dumps more water into the eastern Pacific Ocean than any other North American river.

Enormous drainage basin. The area of land that drains water into the Columbia River is roughly the size of France, stretching across seven U.S. states and one Canadian province.

Changes direction twice. The river flows northwest from Canada, then turns south through Washington state, and finally bends west to form most of the border between Washington and Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean.

Snake River joins in. The Snake River is the Columbia's largest tributary, meaning it's the biggest river that flows into the Columbia.