Arkansas River, large tributary of the Mississippi River, rising in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Leadville in central Colorado, U.S., and flowing generally east-southeastward for 1,460 miles (2,350 km) through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before entering the Mississippi 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Arkansas City, Arkansas.

The Arkansas River is the US's sixth-longest river and one of the Mississippi River ’s major tributaries, covering 2,364 kilometers. It originates from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and flows through three states, Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma, before entering Arkansas, where it joins the Mississippi River at Napoleon.

The Arkansas River originates high in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado, and it ends in eastern Arkansas at the confluence with the Mississippi River where the town of Napoleon (Desha County) once stood. The river is 1,460 miles long and flows across three states before making its way into Arkansas.

The Arkansas River is 1,469 miles long and the sixth-longest river in the United States. It’s a major tributary of the Mississippi River, and its source is located near Leadville, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Native Americans long occupied the area along the river before being discovered by Europeans in the 1800s.

The MKARNS is a 445-mile navigation system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma and flowing in the southeast direction Arkansas to the Mississippi River, effectively connecting the heartland of America to the global supply chain.

Beginning in the central Rocky Mountains near Leadville, the Arkansas River runs nearly 1,500 miles across the Great Plains before emptying into the Mississippi River.

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the United States states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Get Outside The Arkansas River

Explore the twists and turns of the Arkansas River with our detailed Arkansas river maps. Navigate your adventure through serene Colorado landscapes and challenging rapids, ensuring a thrilling journey from start to finish.