American River facts for kids

Quick facts for kids American River
The American River near Fair Oaks
Map of the American River watershed. It includes the North, Middle, and South forks of the river as well as Rubicon River, a tributary of the Middle Fork.
Countries	United States
Physical characteristics
Main source	Sierra Nevada
River mouth	Sacramento River
Length	31 miles (50 km)
Basin features
Basin size	2,150 square miles (5,568 km²)

The American River is a river in northern California in the United States. It is a tributary of the Sacramento River. The river starts in the Sierra Nevada and flows west through the city of Sacramento. The river is 31 miles (50 kilometres) long with a watershed of 2,200 square miles (5,600 square kilometres).

Folsom Dam and Folsom Lake are located on the American river east of Sacramento.

Tributaries

1838 map from Britannica 7th edition, when the river was called Buenaventura River.
View of the American River from below the Guy West Bridge on the Sacramento State campus
American River view from the campus of California State University, Sacramento
North Fork at Foresthill Bridge
Middle Fork canyon
South Fork at Sutter's Mill
North Fork of American River
View of the American River from the William B. Pond Recreation Area
View of the American River from the William B. Pond Recreation Area