List of rivers of Arkansas facts for kids

A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. This article lists the important rivers found in Arkansas, a U.S. state.

The rivers in Arkansas are grouped in different ways to help understand them better. You can find them listed by their drainage basin (the area of land where all the water drains into a specific river), by their size (how much water they carry), and in alphabetical order.

Rivers by Drainage Basin

Rivers are often grouped by their drainage basin. This is like a giant funnel where all the rain and water from a certain area flows into one main river. Smaller rivers that flow into a bigger one are called tributaries. In the lists below, you'll see tributaries indented under the larger rivers they flow into.

Red River Basin

Red River Drainage Basin

Ouachita Drainage Basin

• Mississippi River
  • Red River
    • Black River (LA)
      • Tensas River (LA)

* Bayou Macon

• • • • Ouachita River

* Boeuf River * Bayou D'Arbonne (LA) ** Cornie Bayou * Bayou Bartholomew * Saline River ** Hurricane Creek * Moro Creek * Smackover Creek * Little Missouri River ** Terre Noire Creek ** Terre Rouge Creek ** Antoine River ** Hickory Creek * Caddo River

• • • Loggy Bayou (LA)
      • Flat River (LA)

* Red Chute Bayou (LA) ** Bodcau Bayou and Creek

• • • • Bayou Dorcheat
    • Sulphur River
    • McKinney Bayou
    • Little River
      • Saline River
      • Cossatot River

* Little Cossatot River

• • • • Rolling Fork
      • Mountain Fork

Arkansas River Basin

• Mississippi River
  • Arkansas River
    • Bayou Meto
    • Little Maumelle River
    • Maumelle River
    • Fourche La Fave River
      • South Fourche La Fave River
    • Cadron Creek
    • Point Remove Creek
    • Petit Jean River
    • Illinois Bayou
    • Big Piney Creek
    • Mulberry River
    • Poteau River
      • James Fork
    • Lee Creek
    • Illinois River
      • Flint Creek

* Sager Creek

• • • • Hickory Creek
    • Neosho River (OK)
      • Elk River (OK)

* Big Sugar Creek * Little Sugar Creek ** Tanyard Creek

White River Basin

White River Drainage Basin

• Mississippi River
  • White River
    • Arkansas Post Canal
    • La Grue Bayou
    • Big Creek
    • Cache River
      • Bayou De View
    • Bayou des Arc
    • Little Red River
    • Village Creek
    • Black River
      • Strawberry River

* Little Strawberry River

• • • • Spring River

* Warm Fork Spring River * Eleven Point River

• • • • Fourche River
      • Current River

* Little Black River

• • • North Fork River
      • Bennetts River
    • Buffalo River
      • Little Buffalo River
    • Crooked Creek
    • Kings River
    • Hickory Creek

St. Francis River Basin

• Mississippi River
  • St. Francis River
    • L'Anguille River
    • Tyronza River
    • Little River

Rivers by Size

Rivers can also be measured by how much water flows through them. This is often measured in cubic feet per second (cfs). Imagine a box that is one foot long, one foot wide, and one foot deep. One cubic foot per second means that amount of water flows past a point every second.

Note: There are two rivers named Richland Creek and two named Saline River in Arkansas. The amount of water flowing in rivers can change a lot depending on the year and the season.

Rivers in Alphabetical Order

• Antoine River
• Arkansas River
• Bayou De View
• Bayou des Arc
• Bayou Macon
• Bennetts River
• Big Piney Creek
• Big Sugar Creek
• Black River
• Boeuf River
• Buffalo National River or Buffalo River
• Cache River
• Caddo River
• Cossatot River
• Current River
• Dorcheat Bayou
• Eleven Point River
• Flint Creek
• Fourche La Fave River
• Fourche River
• Glazypeau Creek
• Illinois River
• James Fork
• Kings River
• L'Anguille River
• L'Eau Frais Creek
• Lee Creek
• Little Antoine River
• Little Black River
• Little Buffalo River
• Little Cossatot River
• Little Maumelle River
• Little Missouri River
• Little Red River
• Little River (Red River tributary) in southwestern Arkansas
• Little River (St. Francis River tributary) in northeastern Arkansas
• Little Strawberry River
• Little Sugar Creek
• Maumelle River
• Mississippi River
• Mountain Fork
• Mulberry River
• North Fork River
• Ouachita River
• Petit Jean River
• Poteau River
• Red River
• Rolling Fork
• Sager Creek
• St. Francis River
• Saline River (Little River tributary) in southwestern Arkansas
• Saline River (Ouachita River tributary) in southern Arkansas
• Spring River
• Strawberry River
• Sulphur River
• Tanyard Creek
• Tyronza River
• White River

See also

• List of rivers in the United States