The North Platte River

Canoers in Northgate Canyon, on the North Platte River between Colorado and Wyoming

The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi (1,094 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. The Platte River is an approximately 310 mi (499 km long river in the Western United States. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and It forms the Platte at its confluence with the South Platte River in western Nebraska. The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American West, located in the U The river provides the major avenue of drainage for eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. Although it is not navigable, it has been an important route of transportation in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route of several of the major migration trails, including the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the The Mormon

Description

The North Platte rises in the North Park valley of north central Colorado, near the town of Walden, on the eastern slope of the Park Range. North Park is a high sparsely populated basin (approximately 8800 ft in elevation in the Rocky Mountains in north central Colorado in the United The Town of Walden is a Statutory Town that is the County seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Jackson County, Colorado The Park Range (elevation approximately 12000 ft is a Mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the United States. It flows northward into Wyoming, along the western side of the Medicine Bow Mountains. For the Snowy Range of Australia, see Snowy Mountains. The Medicine Bow Mountains are a Mountain range in the On the north end of the range it is joined by the Medicine Bow River in the Seminoe Reservoir, then downstream of the Kortes Reservoir it is joined by the Sweetwater River in the Pathfinder Reservoir. The Medicine Bow River is a tributary of the North Platte River, in southern Wyoming in the United States. The Sweetwater River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 150 mi (241 km long in the U Pathfinder Reservoir is located in the United States on the North Platte River between Casper and Rawlins. Northeast of the reservoir it passes through the Alcova and Gray Reef Reservoirs and flows northeast between the Granite Mountains to the west and the Laramie Mountains to the east. The Granite Mountains are a short subrange of the Rocky Mountains in central Wyoming of the United States. The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the states of Wyoming and Colorado

It emerges from the mountains near Casper, where it flows east, along the northern reach of the Laramie Mountains onto the Great Plains. Casper is the only City in and the County seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States, although the county is home to a number The Laramie Mountains are a range of moderately high peaks on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in the states of Wyoming and Colorado The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada It flows southeast across the plains of eastern Wyoming, past the town of Douglas and through Glendo and Guernsey Reservoirs. Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. It then flows past the Fort Laramie National Historic Site, where it is joined by the Laramie River. Fort Laramie National Historic Site, located in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately 216 mi (348 km) long in the U It crosses into western Nebraska, flowing ESE between the cities of Scottsbluff and Gering. Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. Gering (ˈgɪərɪŋ rhymes with earring and with an initial hard ''g'') is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States In Keith County, the Kingsley Dam forms Lake C.W. McConaughy, the largest lake in Nebraska and a significant irrigation and recreation facility for the region. Keith County is a County located in the US state of Nebraska. Lake McConaughy is a Reservoir, north of Ogallala Nebraska, United States, near U Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops East of the dam it flows nearly parallel to the South Platte, separated by only 5 mi (8 km) for a stretch of approximately 50 mi (80 km). It joins the South Platte to form the Platte just east of the city of North Platte. North Platte is a city in and the County seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. Historically, this river used to be a mile wide in many places as evidenced by the old streambed and written records. By the time the North Platte reaches Paxton, NE it is a muddy creek due to the extensive water taken from it for irrigation. Paxton is a village in Keith County, Nebraska, United States.

In Colorado and Wyoming, the river is narrower and much swifter flowing than it is in Nebraska, where it becomes a braided stream. Not to be confused with the River Braid Ballymena, Northern Ireland. The upper reaches of the river in the Rockies are popular for recreation rafting and fly fishing for rainbow trout and other sport fish. Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient Angling method most renowned as a method for catching Trout and Salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of The rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a species of Salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the North Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America.

See also

• List of Colorado rivers
• List of Wyoming rivers
• List of Nebraska rivers

External links

• Bureau of Land Management: North Platte River
• Overland Trail: North Platte Crossing
• Church of Latter Day Saints: North Platte River on the Mormon Trail