The Swan River is a short tributary of the
Blue River, approximately 10 miles (16 km) long, located in the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
of central
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. The river drains a mountainous area in the upper basin of the Blue River in southern
Summit County. It rises in three short forks along the
continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not c ...
in the
Arapaho National Forest
Arapaho National Forest is a National Forest located in north-central Colorado, United States. The region is managed jointly with the Roosevelt National Forest and the Pawnee National Grassland from the United States Forest Service office in ...
east of
Breckenridge. It descends through a narrow valley to the west, joining the Blue from the east approximately 5 miles (8 km) north Breckenridge, along
State Highway 9 between Breckenridge and
Frisco. The valley of the river was historical site of mining camps during the late 19th century, with many remains of early camps and mine tailings remaining along the canyon walls.
See also
*
List of rivers of Colorado
This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado.
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Alphabetical list
The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, t ...
*
List of tributaries of the Colorado River
The principal tributaries of the Colorado River of North America are the Gila River, the San Juan River, the Green River, and the Gunnison River.
Tributary tree
The following is a tree demonstrating the points at which the major and minor tri ...
References
Rivers of Colorado
Rivers of Summit County, Colorado
Tributaries of the Colorado River in Colorado
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