Little Colorado River

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The Little Colorado River is shown highlighted on a map of the United States
The Little Colorado River is shown highlighted on a map of the United States

The Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 315 mi (507 km) long, in the U.S. state of Arizona. The river provides the principal drainage for the Painted Desert.

It rises in eastern Arizona, in southeastern Apache County, and flows northwest, through a series of deep gorges, past the towns of St. Johns, Holbrook, and Winslow. It joins the Colorado in the Grand Canyon, approximately 70 mi (113 km) north of Flagstaff.

The river is dammed near St. Johns for irrigation, which then created a reservoir and is now Lyman Lake State Park.[1]

It is one of the larger tributaries of the Colorado River, carrying up to 5200 cubic feet per second (150 m³/s), though its flow is highly irregular, and can drop to as little as 150 cfs during very dry periods. Flows of 30,000 cfs or greater are common during downpours.

Little Colorado River gorge near Grand Canyon NP
Little Colorado River gorge near Grand Canyon NP

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lyman Lake State Park