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The following is a list of rivers and creeks in Iowa. The
river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s are listed by multiple arrangements: *those that form part of the boundaries of 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
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
; *ordered by drainage basin, with tributaries indented under each larger river's name; *ordered alphabetically.


Rivers on the boundary

*
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 ...
(
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
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 ...
) * Missouri River (
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
) *
Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...
(
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 ...
) *
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 ...
( of the boundary with
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 ...
)


Ordered by drainage basin

This list is arranged by
drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. All Iowa rivers are part of the
Mississippi River Watershed 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 ...
, which in Iowa consists of the Upper Mississippi River Drainage Basin and the Missouri River Drainage Basin.


Upper Mississippi River drainage basin

*
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 ...
**''Fabius River (MO)'' *** North Fabius River **
Wyaconda River Wyaconda River is a stream in Davis County, in the U.S. state of Iowa, and Lewis and Clark counties in Missouri. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the third most northeastern stream in Missouri, following the Des Moines River and ...
** Fox River *** Little Fox River **
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 ...
*** Competine Creek *** White Breast Creek *** South River *** Middle River *** North River ***
Raccoon River The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longes ...
****
North Raccoon River The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longes ...
****
South Raccoon River The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longes ...
*****
Middle Raccoon River The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longes ...
*** Beaver Creek *** Pea's Creek **** Davis Creek *** Boone River **** White Fox Creek *** Lizard Creek *** East Fork Des Moines River **
Skunk River The Skunk River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. Geography The Skunk River rises in two branches, the South Skunk ( long) and the North Skunk ( long).U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...
*** Cedar Creek *** North Skunk River *** South Skunk River **** Thunder Creek **** Ioway Creek **
Flint River The Flint River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the u ...
**
Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and ...
*** Cedar River **** Wolf Creek ****
Black Hawk Creek Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
**** Beaver Creek **** West Fork Cedar River *****
Shell Rock River The Shell Rock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the West Fork Cedar River in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in the United States ...
****** Winnebago River ******* Lime Creek **** Little Cedar River *** English River **** North English River ***** Middle English River ***** Deep River **** South English River *** South Fork Iowa River *** East Branch Iowa River *** West Branch Iowa River ** Duck Creek **
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 ...
*** Buffalo Creek *** Little Wapsipinicon River (south) *** Little Wapsipinicon River (north) ** Elk River **
Maquoketa River The Maquoketa River 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 in northeastern Iowa in the United States. I ...
*** North Fork Maquoketa River ** Tete Des Morts Creek ** Catfish Creek ** Bee Branch Creek ** Little Maquoketa River *** Cloie Branch ** Turkey River *** Little Turkey River (Clayton County, Iowa) ***
Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
*** Little Turkey River (Fayette County, Iowa) **
Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...
*** Bear Creek *** Norfolk Creek **
Upper Iowa River The Upper Iowa River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States. Its headwaters rise ...
*** French Creek *** Bear Creek **** Waterloo Creek *** Canoe Creek ****
Pine Creek (Canoe Creek) Pine Creek is a tributary to Canoe Creek in the Upper Iowa River watershed in northeast Iowa; see Pine Creek (Upper Iowa River tributary) for the larger nearby stream of the same name. It runs through Pleasant Township in Winneshiek County. I ...
*** Trout River ***
Pine Creek (Upper Iowa River tributary) Pine Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary to the Upper Iowa River in northeastern Iowa; see Pine Creek (Canoe Creek tributary) for the smaller ...
**''Minnesota River (MN)'' ***
Blue Earth River The Blue Earth River ( dak, Makhátho Wakpá) is a tributary of the Minnesota River, long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth Rive ...


Missouri River drainage basin

* Missouri River **
Chariton River The Chariton River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 tributary to the Missouri River in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. The river forms in southe ...
*** South Fork Chariton River ** Grand River ***
Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...
****
Weldon River Weldon River is stream in Clark and Decatur counties in southern Iowa and Grundy and Mercer counties in northern Missouri of the United States. It is a tributary of the Thompson River. The confluence is two miles northwest of Trenton. It has a ...
*****
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
**
Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself ...
**
Nodaway River The Nodaway River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. Etymology The river's name (as "Nodawa") first ap ...
*** East Nodaway River **** East Fork East Nodaway River *** West Nodaway River **** Middle Nodaway River **** West Fork Middle Nodaway River ***** Rutt Branch **
Tarkio River The Tarkio River (also known as the Big Tarkio River) is a non-navigability, navigable river that stretches for approximately from Cass County, Iowa to its mouth on the Missouri River in Holt County, Missouri. The river basin which drains approxi ...
**
Nishnabotna River The Nishnabotna River () is a tributary of the Missouri River in southwestern Iowa, northwestern Missouri and southeastern Nebraska in the United States. It flows for most of its length as two parallel streams in Iowa, the East Nishnabotna Riv ...
*** East Nishnabotna River *** West Nishnabotna River ****
Walnut Creek A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, ''Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true bo ...
**** Silver Creek **** East Branch West Nishnabotna River **** West Fork West Nishnabotna River ** Keg Creek ** Mosquito Creek **
Boyer River The Boyer River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 in western Iowa in the United States. Most reaches of the riv ...
*** Willow River *** East Boyer River ** Soldier River ***
East Soldier River The Soldier River is a tributary of the Missouri River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 30, 2011 in western Iowa in the United States. Several portions ...
**** Middle Soldier River **
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 ...
*** Maple River ***
Ocheyedan River The Ocheyedan River is a tributary of the Little Sioux River, 58 mi (93 km) long, in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. Via the Little Sioux and Missouri Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Missi ...
**** Little Ocheyedan River *** West Fork Little Sioux River **
Floyd River The Floyd River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 in northwestern Iowa in the United States. It enters the Mi ...
*** West Branch Floyd River **** Little Floyd River ** Perry Creek **
Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...
*** Broken Kettle Creek *** Rock River **** Little Rock River


Ordered alphabetically

*
Bear Creek (Upper Iowa River tributary) Bear Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Upper Iowa River, joining Waterloo Creek for a short distance before entering the Upper ...
*
Bear Creek (Yellow River tributary) Bear Creek, also known as Bear Hollow Creek, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Yellow River of Iowa, originating in Jefferson Township, ...
* Beaver Creek (Cedar River tributary) *
Beaver Creek (Polk County, Iowa) Beaver Creek is a tributary of the Des Moines River that rises at the northern border of Boone County in the U.S. state of Iowa, and then flows generally south and southeast through western Boone County, northeastern Dallas County, and finally no ...
, a tributary of the Des Moines River * Bee Branch Creek *
Big Sioux River The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...
*
Black Hawk Creek Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
*
Blue Earth River The Blue Earth River ( dak, Makhátho Wakpá) is a tributary of the Minnesota River, long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth Rive ...
* Boone River *
Boyer River The Boyer River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 in western Iowa in the United States. Most reaches of the riv ...
* Broken Kettle Creek * Buck Creek (Mississippi River tributary) * Canoe Creek * Catfish Creek * Cedar River *
Chariton River The Chariton River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 tributary to the Missouri River in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri. The river forms in southe ...
* Cloie Branch * Competine Creek * Davis Creek * Deep River *
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 ...
* Elk River * English River *
Flint River The Flint River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the u ...
*
Floyd River The Floyd River is a tributary of the Missouri River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 in northwestern Iowa in the United States. It enters the Mi ...
* Fox River * French Creek * Grand River *
Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and ...
* Ioway Creek * Lime Creek * Little Cedar River * Little Fox River * Little Maquoketa River * Little Ocheyedan River *
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
* Little Rock River *
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 ...
* Little Turkey River (Clayton County, Iowa) * Little Turkey River (Fayette County, Iowa) * Little Wapsipinicon River (north) * Little Wapsipinicon River (south) * Maple River *
Maquoketa River The Maquoketa River 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 in northeastern Iowa in the United States. I ...
* Middle River *
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 ...
* Missouri River * Mosquito Creek *
Nishnabotna River The Nishnabotna River () is a tributary of the Missouri River in southwestern Iowa, northwestern Missouri and southeastern Nebraska in the United States. It flows for most of its length as two parallel streams in Iowa, the East Nishnabotna Riv ...
*
Nodaway River The Nodaway River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 30, 2011 river in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. Etymology The river's name (as "Nodawa") first ap ...
* Norfolk Creek * North Fabius River * North River *
Ocheyedan River The Ocheyedan River is a tributary of the Little Sioux River, 58 mi (93 km) long, in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. Via the Little Sioux and Missouri Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Missi ...
* Pea's Creek * Perry Creek *
Pine Creek (Canoe Creek) Pine Creek is a tributary to Canoe Creek in the Upper Iowa River watershed in northeast Iowa; see Pine Creek (Upper Iowa River tributary) for the larger nearby stream of the same name. It runs through Pleasant Township in Winneshiek County. I ...
* Pine Creek (Upper Missouri River tributary) *
Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself ...
*
Raccoon River The Raccoon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 26, 2011 tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longes ...
* Rock Creek (Missouri River tributary) *
Rock Creek (Wapsipinicon River tributary) Rock Creek is a river in U.S. state of Iowa. It is a tributary of the Wapsipinicon River. Rock Creek takes its name from the ancient rock it contains. See also *List of rivers of Iowa The following is a list of rivers and creeks in Iowa. The ri ...
* Rock River * Rutt Branch *
Shell Rock River The Shell Rock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the West Fork Cedar River in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in the United States ...
*
Skunk River The Skunk River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. Geography The Skunk River rises in two branches, the South Skunk ( long) and the North Skunk ( long).U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...
* Soldier River * South River *
Tarkio River The Tarkio River (also known as the Big Tarkio River) is a non-navigability, navigable river that stretches for approximately from Cass County, Iowa to its mouth on the Missouri River in Holt County, Missouri. The river basin which drains approxi ...
* Tete Des Morts Creek *
Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...
* Thunder Creek * Trout River * Turkey River *
Upper Iowa River The Upper Iowa River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States. Its headwaters rise ...
*
Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
*
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 ...
* Waterloo Creek *
Weldon River Weldon River is stream in Clark and Decatur counties in southern Iowa and Grundy and Mercer counties in northern Missouri of the United States. It is a tributary of the Thompson River. The confluence is two miles northwest of Trenton. It has a ...
* West Fork of the Little Sioux River * White Breast Creek * White Fox Creek * Winnebago River *
Wyaconda River Wyaconda River is a stream in Davis County, in the U.S. state of Iowa, and Lewis and Clark counties in Missouri. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the third most northeastern stream in Missouri, following the Des Moines River and ...
*
Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...


See also

*
List of rivers in the United States The following list is a list of rivers of the United States. Alphabetical listing ''Listings of the rivers in the United States by letter of the alphabet:'' List of rivers in the United States: A, A - List of rivers in the United States: B, B ...
* State Line Slough (Iowa)


References


USGS Geographic Names Information Service
*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Iowa (1974) {{Iowa
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
Rivers