Out of the 6,564 streams that flow through the
U.S. State
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, there are 114 streams that are at least 30 miles long. The second longest river in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
, originates in Minnesota before flowing south to the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
. The longest river entirely within the state of Minnesota is the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It ris ...
. Other rivers over 200 miles long include the
Red River of the North
The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...
,
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Na ...
,
Cedar River,
Wapsipinicon River
The Wapsipinicon River (, locally known as the Wapsi) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 starting n ...
,
Little Sioux River
The Little Sioux River is a river in the United States. It rises in southwestern Minnesota near the Iowa border, and continues to flow southwest for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map ...
, and
Roseau River.
Sections of several of the longest rivers define sections of the Minnesota border. The Red River of the North forms the border with
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
to the west. The
Bois de Sioux River
The Bois de Sioux River () drains Lake Traverse, the southernmost body of water in the Hudson Bay watershed of North America. It is a tributary of the Red River of the North and defines part of the western border of the U.S. state of Minnesota, ...
forms the border with
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
to the west. The Mississippi River,
St. Croix River, and the
St. Louis River form the border with
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
to the east. The
Rainy River and
Pigeon River form the border with
Ontario, Canada
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
to the north.
Minnesota contains three major
drainage basins/watersheds with waters from Minnesota rivers flowing south, north, or east.
These major drainage basins meet in a
triple divide
A triple divide or triple watershed is a point on the Earth's surface where three drainage basins meet. A triple divide results from the intersection of two drainage divides. Triple divides range from prominent mountain peaks to minor side pea ...
point located at the Hill of Three Waters, just north of
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...
(). The Mississippi River drainage basin with water flowing south () is made up of the Upper Mississippi River watershed (above
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
), Lower Mississippi River (Below St. Paul), Minnesota River drainage basin (),
St. Croix River drainage basin (), Des Moines River drainage basin (), and
Missouri River drainage basin (). Water flows southwards, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Water flows to the north in the
Hudson Bay/Artic drainage basin (), which includes the Red River of the North drainage basin () and
Lake of the Woods drainage basin ()—of which is in Minnesota. Minnesota water flows northward to the Hudson Bay. The
Great Lakes Basin
The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose dir ...
to the east includes the
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
drainage basin in Minnesota and Wisconsin (). Minnesota water flows eastward through the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
Table of longest streams
A sortable table below lists the 114 streams flowing in Minnesota that have a total length of greater than or equal to 30 miles. The stream's tributary and watershed are given. The source or mouth of some streams are in other U.S. states or Canadian provinces. Other than border rivers, the only rivers that originate in other states are the Little Minnesota River (South Dakota), St. Croix River (Wisconsin), and Upper Tamarack River (Wisconsin). The 21 streams that are not entirely within the state are indicated by a after the order number. The coordinates and location county of the mouth and source of the stream are indicated, as well as the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
(USGS)
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
ID and other references and notes. Lengths and elevations are derived from the National Elevation Dataset or reference to it in the USGS GNIS Database. A link to an Open Street Map template is listed at the top of this article that will generate a map showing the source and mouth coordinates of all of these streams. For consistency and accuracy, the sources for this information is primarily data from the USGS
GeoNames
GeoNames (or GeoNames.org) is a user editable geographical database available and accessible through various web services, under a Creative Commons attribution license. The project was founded in late 2005.
The GeoNames dataset differs from ...
and National Elevation database, supplemented by other sources.
Map of Minnesota streams and lakes
The map below shows the major streams and lakes in Minnesota.
Gallery
See also
*
Geography of Minnesota
The U.S. State of Minnesota is the northernmost state outside Alaska; its isolated Northwest Angle in Lake of the Woods is the only part of the 48 contiguous states lying north of the 49th parallel north. Minnesota is in the U.S. region known ...
*
List of longest rivers in the United States by state
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of rivers of Minnesota
Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that cumulatively flow for . The Mississippi River begins its journey from its headwaters at Lake Itasca and crosses the Iowa border downstream. It is joined by the Minnesota River at Fort Snellin ...
*
List of rivers of Iowa
The following is a list of rivers and creeks in Iowa. The rivers are listed by multiple arrangements:
*those that form part of the boundaries of the U.S. state of Iowa;
*ordered by drainage basin, with tributaries indented under each larger rive ...
*
List of rivers of North Dakota
This is a list of rivers in the state of North Dakota in the United States.
Alphabetically
*Bois de Sioux River
*Cannonball River
* Cedar Creek
*Cut Bank Creek
* Deep River
*Des Lacs River
* Elm River (North Dakota), tributary of Red River of the ...
*
List of rivers of South Dakota
This is a list of rivers in the state of South Dakota in the United States.
By tributary
Minnesota River watershed
* Little Minnesota River
** Jorgenson River
*Whetstone River
*North Fork Yellow Bank River
*South Fork Yellow Bank River
*West Bran ...
*
List of rivers of Wisconsin
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Great Lakes Drainage
Lake Michigan
*Menominee River
...
*
List of lakes of Minnesota
This is a list of lakes of Minnesota. Although promoted as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", Minnesota has 11,842 lakes of or more. The 1968 state survey found 15,291 lake basins, of which 3,257 were dry. If all basins over 2.5 acres were counted, Minn ...
Notes
References
General references
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*
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*
{{Portal bar, United States, Rivers
Longest streams
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...