List of rivers of Arizona
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

List of rivers in Arizona (
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 ...
), sorted by name.


By drainage basin

This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.


Colorado River

*
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
—(downstream-to-upstream) **
Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...
—(downstream-to-upstream) ***
San Cristobal Wash The San Cristobal Wash is an ephemeral wash and watercourse of the San Cristobal Valley, flowing north into the Gila River Valley of the southwestern desert region of Arizona. Besides Death Valley, the Chihuahuan Desert area, and regions of Baja ...
***
Tenmile Wash Tenmile Wash is an ephemeral wash and watercourse about long in the northern Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona. It forms the eastern drainage of a two drainage system of dry washes into the Gila River Valley; both flow northwesterly, and th ...
***
Centennial Wash (Maricopa County) Centennial Wash is an ephemeral dry wash that forms the final watershed of the Gila River in central Arizona – before the river turns south. From the Centennial Wash confluence, the Gila turns south, then southwest to exit Arizona on the Ca ...
***
Hassayampa River The Hassayampa River ( Yavapai: Hasaya:mvo or ʼHasayamcho:) is an intermittent river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, Arizona, and flows mostly south towards Wickenburg, entering the Gila River near Hassayampa. Although the r ...
***
Agua Fria River The Agua Fria River (Spanish for "cold water") is a long intermittent stream which flows generally south from east-northeast of Prescott in the U.S. state of Arizona. Prescott draws much of its municipal water supply from the upper Agua Fria w ...
****Ironwood Wash **** New River *****Rock Springs Wash *****Skunk Creek ******Scatter Wash *** Salt River ****
Arizona Canal The Arizona Canal is a major canal in central Maricopa County that led to the founding of several communities, now among the wealthier neighborhoods of suburban Phoenix, constructed in the late 1880s. Flood irrigation of residential yards is st ...
**** Grand Canal (Phoenix) ****
Verde River The Verde River ( Yavapai: Haka'he:la) is a major tributary of the Salt River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is about long and carries a mean flow of at its mouth. It is one of the largest perennial streams in Arizona. Description The ...
*****
Fossil Creek Fossil Creek ( yuf-x-yav, Hakhavsuwa or ) is a perennial stream accessed by forest roads near the community of Camp Verde in the U.S. state of Arizona. Primary access is from Forest Road 708 off Arizona State Route 260 east of Camp Verde. A tr ...
***** Oak Creek ***** Granite Creek ****
Tonto Creek Tonto Creek is a stream located in the Mogollon Rim area of the state of Arizona on the north edge of the Tonto National Forest. The closest town, Payson, is away. Tonto Creek is a stream that flows year round, starting just below the Mogol ...
**** White River **** Black River *** Santa Cruz River **** Santa Rosa Wash ****
Cañada del Oro The Cañada del Oro (Spanish for ''Canyon of Gold''), is a primary watershed channel in the valley of Oro Valley, Arizona, US. The word ''cañada'' has a tilde ''( ñ)'' and is pronounced in Spanish; in English it is pronounced , not like ...
**** Madera Canyon, Madera Creek ****
Brawley Wash Brawley Wash is an ephemeral stream, tributary to the Santa Cruz River, located in Pima County. Its source is in the Altar Valley between the Sierrita and Coyote Mountains at , at the confluence of the Altar and Alambre washes along Arizona ...
*****
Altar Wash An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganism ...
*****
Alambre Wash Alambre () is a Mexican dish consisting of grilled beef topped with bell peppers, onions, cheese, salsa and, in some variations, avocado. It is usually served with freshly made corn or flour tortillas. The most common ingredient is beef, and ot ...
*****
Arivaca Creek Arivaca Creek is a small valley stream in southern Pima County, Arizona, that is approximately long from its origin in Arivaca Valley to its confluence with the Brawley Wash stream system. As a seasonal stream, Arivaca Creek is perennial for on ...
**** Rillito River *****
Tanque Verde Creek Tanque is a neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most popu ...
****** Sabino Creek ******Agua Caliente Wash ******* Molino Creek ***** Pantano Wash ****** Rincon Creek ******
Ciénega Creek Ciénega Creek (English: "Hundred Springs Creek" or "Marsh Creek") is an intermittent stream located in the Basin and Range region of southern Arizona, and is one of the most intact riparian corridors left in the state. It originates in the Cane ...
******* Agua Verde Creek ******* Davidson Canyon *******
Mescal Arroyo Mescal Arroyo is an arroyo, a tributary to Ciénega Creek in the Santa Cruz River watershed. Its mouth is at its confluence with Cienega Creek within the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve in Pima County, Arizona. Its source is at , to the east a ...
****
Sonoita Creek Sonoita Creek is a tributary stream of the Santa Cruz River in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It originates near and takes its name from the abandoned Pima mission in the high valley near Sonoita. It flows steadily for the first of its westward ...
*****
Harshaw Creek Harshaw Creek is a stream in the Patagonia Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, named after David Tecumseh Harshaw, who settled along its banks in the mid-1870s. It is approximately long and flows in a north to northwesterly direction toward ...
*** San Pedro River **** Aravaipa Creek ****
Babocomari River The Babocomari River is a major tributary of the upper San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona. The river begins in the Sonoita Basin near the community of Elgin, Arizona, and flows eastward for approximately before merging with the San Pedro, ...
*** San Carlos River *** San Simon River *** Eagle Creek *** San Francisco River **** Blue River **
Bill Williams River The Bill Williams River is a river in west-central Arizona where it, along with one of its tributaries, the Santa Maria River, form the boundary between Mohave County to the north and La Paz County to the south.''Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer,'' D ...
*** Big Sandy River *** Santa Maria River **
Virgin River The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long.Calculated with Google Maps and Google Earth It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the ...
**
Kanab Creek Kanab Creek ( ) is one of the many tributaries of the Colorado River. It begins in Kane County, Utah, just south of the watershed to the Great Basin and flows south to the Colorado River. The stream headwaters arise at at an elevation of appr ...
** Deer Creek ** Tapeats Creek *** Thunder River **
Little Colorado River The Little Colorado River () is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about i ...
***
Puerco River The Puerco River or Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. It flows through arid terrain, including the Painted Desert. Name The Puerco River is sometimes called Rio Puer ...
****
Black Creek (Arizona) Black Creek of Arizona is a 55-mi (89 km) long north tributary of the Puerco River, in northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. The Black Creek flows south along an east and southeast perimeter section of the Defiance Plateau; Red Lake ( ...
*** Silver Creek *** Zuni River **
Paria River The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part ...
*
Bonita Creek Bonita Creek is a stream in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It flows for about northwest from the San Joaquin Reservoir to its confluence with the San Diego Creek near Upper Newport Bay. Gallery File:Bonita Creek Flowin ...


Yaqui River

* San Bernardino River; also known as Black Draw: enters Mexico as the ''Rio San Bernardino'', where it feeds into the
Bavispe River The Rio Bavispe or Bavispe River is a river in Mexico which flows briefly north then mainly south by southwest until it joins with the Aros River to become the Yaqui River, eventually joining the Gulf of California. History Historically, the Rio ...
, and ultimately the
Yaqui River The Yaqui River (Río Yaqui in Spanish) (Hiak Vatwe in the Yaqui or Yoreme language) is a river in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. It was formerly known as the Rio del Norte. Being the largest river system in the state of Sonora, th ...
. ** Guadalupe Canyon Creek, tributary to the San Bernardino River joins it at just below Dieciocho de Augusto, Sonora. **
Whitewater Draw Whitewater Draw, originally Rio de Agua Prieta, panish: river of dark water is a tributary stream of the Agua Prieta River, Rio de Agua Prieta in Cochise County, Arizona. It was called Blackwater Creek by Philip St. George Cooke when his comm ...
: originally considered the upper reach of the Rio de Agua Prieta, it enters Mexico as the head of Rio de Agua Prieta, which runs southward then southeast to join the Rio de San Bernardino, at La Junta de los Rios, Sonora, about 24.5 miles southeast of
Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulpher Springs Valley. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of mining. The population was 16,531 ...
.


Alphabetically

*
Agua Fria River The Agua Fria River (Spanish for "cold water") is a long intermittent stream which flows generally south from east-northeast of Prescott in the U.S. state of Arizona. Prescott draws much of its municipal water supply from the upper Agua Fria w ...
* Agua Sal Creek * Aravaipa Creek *
Babocomari River The Babocomari River is a major tributary of the upper San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona. The river begins in the Sonoita Basin near the community of Elgin, Arizona, and flows eastward for approximately before merging with the San Pedro, ...
*Bar X Wash * Big Sandy River *
Bill Williams River The Bill Williams River is a river in west-central Arizona where it, along with one of its tributaries, the Santa Maria River, form the boundary between Mohave County to the north and La Paz County to the south.''Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer,'' D ...
*Bis Ii Ah Wash * Black River * Blue River, Arizona *
Bonita Creek Bonita Creek is a stream in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It flows for about northwest from the San Joaquin Reservoir to its confluence with the San Diego Creek near Upper Newport Bay. Gallery File:Bonita Creek Flowin ...
*
Bright Angel Creek Bright Angel Creek is an American body of water located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park flowing into the Colorado River at the end of the North Kaibab Trail on the north side of the river. The creek originates from Roaring Sprin ...
*
Cañada del Oro The Cañada del Oro (Spanish for ''Canyon of Gold''), is a primary watershed channel in the valley of Oro Valley, Arizona, US. The word ''cañada'' has a tilde ''( ñ)'' and is pronounced in Spanish; in English it is pronounced , not like ...
*
Centennial Wash (Maricopa County) Centennial Wash is an ephemeral dry wash that forms the final watershed of the Gila River in central Arizona – before the river turns south. From the Centennial Wash confluence, the Gila turns south, then southwest to exit Arizona on the Ca ...
* Cienega Creek *
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
* Deer Creek * Eagle Creek *
Fossil Creek Fossil Creek ( yuf-x-yav, Hakhavsuwa or ) is a perennial stream accessed by forest roads near the community of Camp Verde in the U.S. state of Arizona. Primary access is from Forest Road 708 off Arizona State Route 260 east of Camp Verde. A tr ...
*
Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...
*
Hassayampa River The Hassayampa River ( Yavapai: Hasaya:mvo or ʼHasayamcho:) is an intermittent river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, Arizona, and flows mostly south towards Wickenburg, entering the Gila River near Hassayampa. Although the r ...
*
Kanab Creek Kanab Creek ( ) is one of the many tributaries of the Colorado River. It begins in Kane County, Utah, just south of the watershed to the Great Basin and flows south to the Colorado River. The stream headwaters arise at at an elevation of appr ...
*
Little Colorado River The Little Colorado River () is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona, providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of about i ...
* Madera Canyon, Madera Creek * Molino Creek * New River * Oak Creek *
Paria River The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part ...
*
Puerco River The Puerco River or Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. It flows through arid terrain, including the Painted Desert. Name The Puerco River is sometimes called Rio Puer ...
* Rillito River * Rio de Flag * Sabino Creek * Salt River * San Carlos River *
San Cristobal Wash The San Cristobal Wash is an ephemeral wash and watercourse of the San Cristobal Valley, flowing north into the Gila River Valley of the southwestern desert region of Arizona. Besides Death Valley, the Chihuahuan Desert area, and regions of Baja ...
* San Francisco River * San Pedro River * San Simon River * Santa Cruz River * Santa Maria River * Silver Creek *
Sonoita Creek Sonoita Creek is a tributary stream of the Santa Cruz River in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It originates near and takes its name from the abandoned Pima mission in the high valley near Sonoita. It flows steadily for the first of its westward ...
* Tapeats Creek *
Tenmile Wash Tenmile Wash is an ephemeral wash and watercourse about long in the northern Sonoran Desert of south-central Arizona. It forms the eastern drainage of a two drainage system of dry washes into the Gila River Valley; both flow northwesterly, and th ...
* Thunder River *
Tonto Creek Tonto Creek is a stream located in the Mogollon Rim area of the state of Arizona on the north edge of the Tonto National Forest. The closest town, Payson, is away. Tonto Creek is a stream that flows year round, starting just below the Mogol ...
*
Verde River The Verde River ( Yavapai: Haka'he:la) is a major tributary of the Salt River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is about long and carries a mean flow of at its mouth. It is one of the largest perennial streams in Arizona. Description The ...
*
Virgin River The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long.Calculated with Google Maps and Google Earth It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the ...
* White River * Zuni River


See also

* List of mountain ranges of Arizona *
List of rivers of 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:'' A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - ...
* List of valleys of Arizona


References


USGS Geographic Names Information Service
*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Arizona (1974) {{Authority control *
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
Rivers 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 ...
. . .