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Recreational Guide: The Arkansas River

Posted on August 1, 2008 - Filed Under Travel

The Arkansas River originates in the state of Colorado and flows Eastward into the Mississippi River.  The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the river.  The Arkansas River is the fourth longest river in the United Stated, and the second longest tributary in the Mississippi River system.

Arkansas River GeographyThe Arkansas River headwaters source is near Leadville, Colorado.   The river technically ends in the Mississippi, which leads out to the ocean.  The river drops 10,000 feet in the first 125 mile stretch.  Within this stretch, the River carves through a large canyon now called the Royal Gorge.   Because of the rapid drop of elevation, this stretch of river is popular for whitewater rafting and other river recreation.  In total, the river drops 11,400 feet and covers a total of 161,000 square miles.  The Arkansas River basin drains 24,904 square miles.From Colorado, the Arkansas River then runs through Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, before meeting up with the Mississippi River.  In total the river runs 1450 miles, which makes the Arkansas River the longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri water system.Carving out many canyons and gorges, perhaps one of the most well known is the Royal Gorge. With a width of 50 feet at its base and a few hundred feet at its top, and a depth of 1200 feet in places, the 10-mile-long canyon is a narrow, steep crevasse through the granite of Fremont Peak.The Arkansas River is now used as a main waterway for commerce, with the system being formerly called the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System or MKARNS.  This specific stretch of the river is 445 miles.  It takes a commercial towboat 5 days to travel the MKARNs distance.  The commercial stretch of the river has multiple dam and lock systems allowing for greater control over the navigation efforts.  The Arkansas River is used for waterway commerce, recreational activities (such as whitewater rafting) and wildlife preservation.Arkansas River HistoryThe , RV parks and recreational facilities for planning vacations and trips along the river

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Tags: arkansas river, arkansas river basin, crevasse, fremont peak, headwaters, kansas oklahoma, kerr arkansas, leadville colorado, longest river, mile stretch, mississippi river, mississippi river system, rapid drop, river navigation, river recreation, royal gorge, state of colorado, towboat, tributary, wildlife preservation

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