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River

Arkansas River

2,364 km from source to mouth · United States.

United StatesUnited StatesFlows into Mississippi River4th longest in United States

Follow the riverMonth by month

SourceMouthTulsaWichitaPueblo
The river and every tributary in its basin, drawn from RiverATLAS (CC BY 4.0).

In numbers

Length

2,364km

Average flow

240m³/s

Basin

505,000km²

Drop

2,874m

from 2,908 m to 34 m

Country

1

The journey

From source to mouth

2,364 km of river and 68 stops on the way: 29 towns and cities on its banks, dams, bridges and the tributaries that feed it.

2,908 m34 m
Tennessee Creekat 2,908 m0 km
Pueblo111,876 people249 km
Big Sandy Creektributary463 km
Dodge City27,912 people706 km
Pawnee Rivertributary824 km
Wichita396,119 people1,028 km
Tulsa413,066 people1,395 km
Fort Smith89,142 people1,659 km
Little Rock202,591 people1,942 km
Mississippi Riverat 34 m2,364 km
05001,0001,5002,0002,364 km
  1. 0 kmTennessee Creekat 2,908 m
  2. 3 kmTurquoise Lake6.4 km²
  3. 23 kmTwin Lakes Reservoir5.8 km²
  4. 31 kmClear Creek Reservoir1.3 km²
  5. 118 kmHoward852 people
  6. 185 kmCañon City17,141 people
  7. 187 kmLincoln Park3,934 people
  8. 190 kmBrookside236 people
  9. 197 kmFlorence3,822 people
  10. 205 kmPenrose3,685 people
  11. 238 kmPueblo West33,086 people
  12. 239 kmPueblo Reservoir16 km²
  13. 249 kmPueblo111,876 people
  14. 254 kmFountain Creektributary
  15. 265 kmSaint Charles Rivertributary
  16. 286 kmHuerfano Rivertributary
  17. 308 kmFowler1,253 people
  18. 315 kmApishapa Rivertributary
  19. 395 kmPurgatoire Rivertributary
  20. 417 kmJohn Martin Reservoir44 km²
  21. 448 kmLamar7,687 people
  22. 463 kmBig Sandy Creektributary
  23. 620 kmGarden City27,005 people
  24. 706 kmDodge City27,912 people
  25. 824 kmPawnee Rivertributary
  26. 953 kmHutchinson41,569 people
  27. 1,028 kmWichita396,119 people
  28. 1,028 kmLittle Arkansas Rivertributary
  29. 1,049 kmDerby23,509 people
  30. 1,080 kmNinnescah Rivertributary
  31. 1,119 kmArkansas City11,974 people
  32. 1,127 kmWalnut Rivertributary
  33. 1,183 kmKaw Lake59 km²
  34. 1,198 kmPonca City24,758 people
  35. 1,209 kmSalt Fork Arkansas Rivertributary
  36. 1,246 kmSooner Lake21 km²
  37. 1,368 kmCimarron Rivertributary
  38. 1,369 kmKeystone Lake80 km²
  39. 1,395 kmTulsa413,066 people
  40. 1,410 kmJenks20,740 people
  41. 1,422 kmBixby24,657 people
  42. 1,500 kmVerdigris Rivertributary
  43. 1,501 kmNeosho Rivertributary
  44. 1,539 kmGreenleaf Lake3.3 km²
  45. 1,559 kmIllinois Rivertributary
  46. 1,567 kmCanadian Rivertributary
  47. 1,594 kmRobert S. Kerr Reservoir135 km²
  48. 1,638 kmPoteau Rivertributary
  49. 1,651 kmVan Buren23,081 people
  50. 1,659 kmFort Smith89,142 people
  51. 1,697 kmMulberry Rivertributary
  52. 1,720 kmOzark3,542 people
  53. 1,804 kmLake Dardanelle94 km²
  54. 1,839 kmPetit Jean Rivertributary
  55. 1,907 kmFourche La Fave Rivertributary
  56. 1,920 kmLake Maumelle35 km²
  57. 1,924 kmMaumelle19,251 people
  58. 1,942 kmNorth Little Rock64,591 people
  59. 1,942 kmLittle Rock202,591 people
  60. 2,017 kmPine Bluff41,253 people
  61. 2,017 kmVaugine Township41,374 people
  62. 2,020 kmJefferson County67,260 people
  63. 2,034 kmAtkins Lake0.5 km²
  64. 2,071 kmHannaberry Lake0.8 km²
  65. 2,085 kmBayou Metotributary
  66. 2,094 kmEchubby Lake0.3 km²
  67. 2,097 kmSilver Lake0.6 km²
  68. 2,103 kmArkansas Post
  69. 2,111 kmLake Dumond0.3 km²
  70. 2,364 kmMississippi Riverat 34 m

Water level along the river (RiverATLAS; the height is exaggerated). Towns: GeoNames and Wikidata; bridges, dams and tributaries: Wikidata.

Major tributary of the Mississippi River, United States

At the mouth it carries 240 m³/s on average: an Olympic pool every 10 seconds. It drops from 2,908 m to 34 m, 1.2 m per kilometre on average. Its basin covers 505,000 km², about the size of ES. 7.1 million people live in it. Highest water: from May to July. It is heavily dammed: reservoirs can hold 85% of a year's flow.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to start

  • TulsaLargest city on its banks · 413,066 people
  • Tulsa International Airport (TUL)Nearest airport with scheduled flights, 11 km from the cityCar hire in TulsaDiscover Cars · Affiliate link
  • On the water146 ferry piers, marinas, boat rentals and boat ramps along the river (OpenStreetMap)
  • Kayak and canoe14 put-ins and rapids mapped (OpenStreetMap)
  • April, June and from August to OctoberThe best months to visit

Arkansas River, month by month

Highest water: from May to July

Best months to visit: April, June and from August to October.

800
0°31 mmJan
590
3°38 mmFeb
830
8°63 mmMar
1,100
13°68 mmApr
1,900
18°97 mmMay
2,200
23°84 mmJun
1,700
26°76 mmJul
1,300
25°69 mmAug
990
21°73 mmSep
930
14°58 mmOct
1,100
7°53 mmNov
1,200
2°42 mmDec
Water (estimated flow)Air (average) Rain (mm)Best months

From about 590 m³/s in the lowest month to 2,200 m³/s in the highest. An estimate: the monthly flow is modelled from the lowest and highest months of WaterGAP (RiverATLAS, 1971–2000) and the rain and snow along the river (WorldClim). Dams change the real rhythm. The chip is the average air temperature; below it, the month's rain.

Plan the trip

Plan the trip: boat trips, a bed by the river, a car

Car hire in TulsaDiscover CarsSee 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The basin

Arkansas River: the basin in numbers

409,027 km² of land send their water to this river. This is what lives on it.

DammedReservoirs can hold 85% of a year's flow: much of the river is a chain of lakes.
  • 7.1millionpeople live in the basin
  • 18/km²people per km²
  • 874maverage altitude of the basin
  • 686mmof rain a year (basin average)
  • 12.9°Caverage air temperature
  • 2%protected areas
  • 0.6%covered by lakes
  • 35km³held in reservoirs

What covers the basin

  • 18% Forest
  • 35% Cropland
  • 39% Pasture
  • 1% Towns and cities

RiverATLAS (HydroATLAS v1.0, CC BY 4.0): land cover, people, protected areas, glaciers and dams over the whole basin upstream of the mouth.

Along the river

Arkansas River: what you find on the way

  • 152DamsSugarloaf Dam, Lake Fork Gaging Station, Twin Lakes Dam and 149 more
  • 61WeirsOtero Canal Diversion, Zink Dam and 59 more
  • 38LocksWebbers Falls Lock and Dam, Arkansas River, Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam and 35 more
  • 4WaterfallsTwin Falls and 3 more
  • 14RapidsCanyon Doors, Pinball, Zoom Flume and 11 more
  • 140Boat rampsHecla Junction, Stone Bridge Takeout, Trading Post River Access and 137 more
  • 5MarinasPioneer Cove Marina, Greenleaf Marina & Grill, Rockwater Marina and 2 more
  • 1Boat rentalsKayak and Pedal Boat Rental
  • 3River beachesLake Ponca Beach, Willow Beach, Lake Dardanelle Beach and Swimming Area

From OpenStreetMap, within 2.8 km of the river. Not mapped is not the same as not there.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Arkansas River in our other atlases

What our sister atlases know about the waterfalls on this river, the lakes it flows through, the beaches at its mouth, the mountains where it rises and the islands off its mouth.

  • 17lakes on its wayLakeyas
  • 39mountains at the sourcePeakyas

Lakes and reservoirs (17)

Lakes it flows through, by Lakeyas

  1. Twin Lakes Reservoirkm 225.8km²
  2. John Martin Reservoirkm 39544km²
  3. Kaw Lakekm 1,11959km²
  4. Sooner Lakekm 1,17921km²
  5. Keystone Lakekm 1,29580km²
  6. Robert S. Kerr Reservoirkm 1,507135km²
  7. Lake Dardanellekm 1,70694km²
  8. Lake Maumellekm 1,81635km²

9 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗

Mountains at the source (39)

Within 15 km of the source, by Peakyas

  1. Mount Massive14 km away · prominence 604 m4,395m
  2. Dyer Mountain14 km away · prominence 145 m4,225m
  3. Mount Sheridan15 km away
  4. Bald Eagle Mountain7.8 km away
  5. Ball Mountain11 km away
  6. Breece Hill9.4 km away
  7. Buckeye Peak12 km away
  8. Canterbury Hill7.2 km away

31 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗

From space

The source and the mouth, seen from orbit

Arkansas River: satellite view of the source
The source14 km across
Arkansas River: satellite view of the mouth
The mouth87 km across

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0. The glowing line is the river as drawn by RiverATLAS.

Photos

Arkansas River in pictures

Arkansas River near Sterling KS
LDtronic01 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Arkansas River Walk in downtown Salida (2026)-104A8147
Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Arkansas River (2020)
Roy Luck · CC BY 2.0
Arkansas River in downtown Pueblo, CO IMG 5116
Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0

Tributaries

Where it flows, and what flows into it

It flows into

Mississippi RiverUnited StatesUnited States3,766 km12,700 m³/s

Tributaries (35)

Canadian RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,458 km200 m³/sjoins at km 1,482Cimarron RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,123 km1,100 m³/sjoins at km 1,293Neosho RiverUnited StatesUnited States745 km280 m³/sjoins at km 1,420

Also: Verdigris River, Salt Fork Arkansas River, Big Sandy Creek, Poteau River, Walnut River, Ninnescah River, Purgatoire River, Apishapa River, Huerfano River, Little Arkansas River, Fourche La Fave River, Illinois River, Pawnee River, Saint Charles River, Bayou Meto, Fountain Creek, Mulberry River, Petit Jean River, Big Piney Creek, Chalk Creek, Chico Creek, Cow Creek, East Fork Arkansas River, Horse Creek

In the same basin

Missouri RiverUnited StatesUnited States3,726 km2,500 m³/sOhio RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,579 km8,000 m³/sTennessee RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,049 km2,000 m³/sRed RiverUnited StatesUnited States2,189 km1,900 m³/sYellowstone RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,114 km390 m³/sPlatte RiverUnited StatesUnited States500 km200 m³/sIllinois RiverUnited StatesUnited States432 km660 m³/sAllegheny RiverUnited StatesUnited States523 km560 m³/sCumberland RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,107 km860 m³/sWabash RiverUnited StatesUnited States960 km1,000 m³/s

Nearby

Rivers nearby

White RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,162 km740 m³/s21 km awaySt. Francis RiverUnited StatesUnited States686 km400 m³/s106 km awayRed RiverUnited StatesUnited States2,189 km1,900 m³/s311 km awayOhio RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,579 km8,000 m³/s400 km awayCanadian RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,458 km200 m³/s403 km awayTennessee RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,049 km2,000 m³/s433 km awayAlabama RiverUnited StatesUnited States640 km950 m³/s417 km awayCumberland RiverUnited StatesUnited States1,107 km860 m³/s444 km away

Where these numbers come from

Name, length, placesWikidata (Q8319) · CC0
Course, profile, basinRiverATLAS v1.0 (HydroATLAS, Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 — followed from the source to the mouth given by Wikidata
FlowWaterGAP (RiverATLAS), 1971–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Climate along the riverWorldClim (RiverATLAS), 1970–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Towns, bridges, damsWikidata · CC0; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Along the river© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Our other atlasesLakeyas, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST

Every source and licence is on the data sources page.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.You are here
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit