stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
in western Boone and eastern Carroll counties of Northwest
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
. The stream is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Table Rock Lake
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam ...
headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
arise high in the Ozark Mountains of northwestern Arkansas in southwest Boone County. The stream flows northwest into Carroll County and turns north and runs parallel to
U.S. Route 412
U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of the ...
past Carrollton. It turns northeast and re-enters Boone County and passes under the Route 412/ Route 62 concurrency just east of Alpena. The stream meanders back and forth across the Boone-Carroll county line repeatedly passing the community of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
where it gains the Dry Creek tributary. It continues on to the north to enter the waters of Table Rock Lake in northwestern Boone County.
Prior to the construction of Table Rock Dam and filling of the lake, Long Creek entered the southwest corner of Taney County,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and meandered north-northwest into Stone County where it entered the White River just west of the current dam site at an elevation of approximately 720 feet. The Long Creek Recreation Area on Table Rock Lake lies just south of the
Missouri Route 86
Route 86 is a highway in southwest Missouri.
The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 65 just north of Ridgedale. From there, the road crosses the Long Creek arm of Table Rock Lake and continues to Blue Eye west between the Arkansas state line on ...
bridge over the Long Creek arm of the lake in the southwestern corner of Taney County.''Table Rock Dam, Missouri,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1989