The Longest River in Colorado May Surprise Many People

The nickname the 'Headwaters State' was given to Colorado because of the 158 named rivers flowing throughout. Four major Colorado rivers cross state lines and three of them are among the longest rivers in America.

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Have you ever wondered which one of Colorado's rivers is the longest? The answer might surprise you. Keep reading for a closer look at the three longest rivers in the Centennial State.

The Colorado River

La Poudre Pass Lake, at 10,174 feet, sits just below La Poudre Pass near the northern end of Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake marks the headwaters of the Colorado River, the third longest in the state.

The Colorado River flows over 300 miles to the Colorado-Utah state line, and more than 1,450 miles to the Gulf of California in northwestern Mexico.

The Arkansas River

The Arkansas River flows more than 300 miles from its headwaters near Leadville to the Colorado-Kansas state line. The headwaters begin at an elevation of 9,728 ft, just West of the town of Leadville. The Arkansas River has traveled its 1,469-mile route to the mouth in Napoleon, Arkansas for more than 29 million years.

The Rio Grande River

The title of Colorado's Longest River belongs to the Rio Grande River, with a length of 208 miles to New Mexico, and 1,885 miles from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. Rio Grande means "Big River" in America, but in Mexico, the river is known as Rio Bravo or "Furious River." The Rio Grande is considered one of the most endangered rivers in North America.