View source for List of rivers of Kansas

{{short description|None}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Ks rivers.png|thumb|Map of principal rivers in Kansas]]
This is a '''list of rivers in Kansas''' ([[U.S. state]]).

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

===Mississippi River Basin===
====Arkansas River Basin====
*[[Arkansas River]]
**[[Neosho River]]
***[[Spring River (Missouri)|Spring River]]
****[[Shoal Creek (Spring River tributary)|Shoal Creek]]
***[[Cottonwood River (Kansas)|Cottonwood River]]
**[[Verdigris River]]
***[[Caney River]]
***[[Elk River (Kansas)|Elk River]]
***[[Fall River (Kansas)|Fall River]]
**[[Cimarron River (Arkansas River tributary)|Cimarron River]]
***[[North Fork Cimarron River]]
**[[Salt Fork Arkansas River]]
***[[Chikaskia River]]
***[[Medicine Lodge River]]
**[[Grouse Creek (Kansas)|Grouse Creek]]
**[[Walnut River (Kansas)|Walnut River]]
***[[Little Walnut River (Kansas)|Little Walnut River]]
***[[Whitewater River (Kansas)|Whitewater River]]
**[[Ninnescah River]]
***[[North Fork Ninnescah River]]
***[[South Fork Ninnescah River]]
**[[Little Arkansas River]]
**[[Cow Creek (Kansas)|Cow Creek]]
**[[Rattlesnake Creek (Kansas)|Rattlesnake Creek]]
**[[Walnut Creek (Kansas)|Walnut Creek]]
**[[Pawnee River]]
***[[Buckner Creek]]
**[[Bear Creek (Kansas)|Bear Creek]]

====Missouri River Basin====
*[[Missouri River]]
**Osage River
***[[Little Osage River]]
****[[Marmaton River]]
***[[Marais des Cygnes River]]
**[[Blue River (Missouri)|Blue River]]
***[[Brush Creek (Blue River tributary)|Brush Creek]]
**[[Kansas River]]
***[[Stranger Creek]]
***[[Wakarusa River]]
***[[Delaware River (Kansas)|Delaware River]]
***[[Mission Creek (Kansas)|Mission Creek]]
***[[Big Blue River (Kansas)|Big Blue River]]
****[[Black Vermillion River]]
****[[Little Blue River (Kansas/Nebraska)|Little Blue River]]
****Indian Creek
***[[Republican River]]
****[[Buffalo Creek (Kansas)|Buffalo Creek]]
****[[White Rock Creek (Kansas)|White Rock Creek]]
****[[Prairie Dog Creek]]
****[[Sappa Creek]]
*****[[Beaver Creek (Sappa Creek tributary)|Beaver Creek]]
******[[Little Beaver Creek (Kansas)|Little Beaver Creek]]
****[[South Fork Republican River]]
****[[Arikaree River]]
***[[Smoky Hill River]]
****[[Solomon River]]
*****[[North Fork Solomon River]]
*****[[South Fork Solomon River]]
****[[Saline River (Kansas)|Saline River]]
****[[Big Creek (Kansas)|Big Creek]]
****[[Hackberry Creek]]
****[[Ladder Creek]]
****[[North Fork Smoky Hill River]]
**[[Wolf River (Kansas)|Wolf River]]
**[[Big Nemaha River]]

==Alphabetically==
*[[Arikaree River]]
*[[Arkansas River]]
*[[Beaver Creek (Sappa Creek tributary)|Beaver Creek]]
*[[Big Blue River (Kansas)|Big Blue River]]
*[[Big Creek (Kansas)|Big Creek]]
*[[Big Nemaha River]]
*[[Black Vermillion River]]
*[[Blue River (Missouri)|Blue River]]
*[[Brush Creek (Blue River tributary)|Brush Creek]]
*[[Buckner Creek]]
*[[Buffalo Creek (Kansas)|Buffalo Creek]]
*[[Caney River]]
*[[Chikaskia River]]
*[[Cimarron River (Arkansas River tributary)|Cimarron River]]
*[[Cottonwood River (Kansas)|Cottonwood River]]
*[[Cow Creek (Kansas)|Cow Creek]]
*[[Delaware River (Kansas)|Delaware River]]
*[[Elk River (Kansas)|Elk River]]
*[[Fall River (Kansas)|Fall River]]
*[[Grouse Creek (Kansas)|Grouse Creek]]
*[[Hackberry Creek]]
*[[Kansas River]]
*[[Ladder Creek]]
*[[Little Arkansas River]]
*[[Little Beaver Creek (Kansas)|Little Beaver Creek]]
*[[Little Blue River (Kansas/Nebraska)|Little Blue River]]
*[[Little Osage River]]
*[[Little Walnut River (Kansas)|Little Walnut River]]
*[[Marais des Cygnes River]]
*[[Marmaton River]]
*[[Medicine Lodge River]]
*[[Mission Creek (Kansas)|Mission Creek]]
*[[Missouri River]]
*[[Neosho River]]
*[[Ninnescah River]]
*[[North Fork Ninnescah River]]
*[[North Fork Smoky Hill River]]
*[[North Fork Solomon River]]
*[[Pawnee River]]
*[[Prairie Dog Creek]]
*[[Rattlesnake Creek (Kansas)|Rattlesnake Creek]]
*[[Republican River]]
*[[Saline River (Kansas)|Saline River]]
*[[Salt Fork Arkansas River]]
*[[Sappa Creek]]
*[[Shoal Creek (Spring River tributary)|Shoal Creek]]
*[[Smoky Hill River]]
*[[Solomon River]]
*[[South Fork Ninnescah River]]
*[[South Fork Republican River]]
*[[South Fork Solomon River]]
*[[Spring River (Missouri)|Spring River]]
*[[Stranger Creek]]
*[[Verdigris River]]
*[[Wakarusa River]]
*[[Walnut Creek (Kansas)|Walnut Creek]]
*[[Walnut River (Kansas)|Walnut River]]
*[[White Rock Creek (Kansas)|White Rock Creek]]
*[[Whitewater River (Kansas)|Whitewater River]]
*[[Wolf River (Kansas)|Wolf River]]

==By size==
This table lists rivers in Kansas with a mean flow rate in cubic feet of water per second (cfs) of more than 100 cfs. The period of record for most rivers listed is more than 50 years up to and including the year 2013. One cubic foot equals .0283 cubic meters. The measurements of daily, monthly, and annual mean flow rates may vary substantially from the long-term mean flow rate listed.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! River !! Cubic feet per second flow !! Location of monitoring station 
|-
| [[Missouri River]] || 54,280 || Near [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]
|-
| [[Kansas River|Kansas (Kaw) River]] || 7,464 || Near junction with Missouri River
|-
| [[Verdigris River]] || 3,260 || Near [[Coffeyville, Kansas|Coffeyville]]
|-
|| [[Neosho River|Neosho (Grand) River]] || 2,924 || Near [[Parsons, Kansas|Parsons]]
|-
| [[Arkansas River]] || 2,881 || Near [[Oklahoma]] state line 
|-
| [[Big Blue River (Kansas)|Big Blue River]] || 2,325 || Near [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]]
|-
| [[Marais des Cygnes River]] || 2,219 || Near [[Missouri]] state line 
|-
| [[Smoky Hill River]] || 1,540 || Near [[Enterprise, Kansas|Enterprise]]
|-
| [[Walnut River]] || 924 || Near [[Winfield, Kansas|Winfield]]
|-
| [[Cottonwood River (Kansas)|Cottonwood River]] || 879 || Near [[Plymouth, Kansas|Plymouth]]  
|-
| [[Republican River]] || 839 || Near [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]]
|-
| [[Delaware River (Kansas)|Delaware River]] || 682 || Near [[Perry, Kansas|Perry]]
|-
| [[Little Blue River (Kansas/Nebraska)|Little Blue River]] || 672 || Near [[Barnes, Kansas|Barnes]]
|-
| [[Solomon River]] || 550 || Near [[Niles, Kansas|Niles]]
|- 
| [[Fall River (Kansas)|Fall River]] || 536 || Near [[Fredonia, Kansas|Fredonia]] 
|-
| [[Ninnescah River]] || 528 || Near [[Peck, Kansas|Peck]]  
|-
| [[Little Arkansas River]] || 315 || [[Valley Center, Kansas|Valley Center]]
|-
| [[Caney River]] || 288 || Near [[Elgin, Kansas|Elgin]] 
|-
| [[Chikaskia River]] || 264 || Near [[Corbin, Kansas|Corbin]] 
|-
| [[Stranger Creek]] || 247 || Near [[Tonganoxie, Kansas|Tonganoxie]] 
|-
| [[Wakarusa River]] || 220 || Near [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]
|-
| [[Saline River (Kansas)|Saline River]] || 214 || Near [[Tescott, Kansas|Tescott]]
|-
| [[Whitewater River (Kansas)|Whitewater River]] || 210 || Near [[Towanda, Kansas|Towanda]]
|-
| [[South Fork Ninnescah River]] || 210 || Near [[Murdock, Kansas|Murdock]]
|-
| [[Mill Creek (Kansas)|Mill Creek]] || 189 || Near [[Paxico, Kansas|Paxico]] 
|-
| [[Lightning Creek (Kansas)|Lightning Creek]] || 171 || Near [[McCune, Kansas|McCune]]
|-
| [[Black Vermillion River]] || 169 || Near [[Frankfort, Kansas|Frankfort]]
|-
| [[Elk River (Kansas)|Elk River]] || 161 || Near [[Elk Falls, Kansas|Elk Falls]]
|-
| [[Soldier Creek (Kansas)|Soldier Creek]] || 158 || Near [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]
|-
| [[Medicine Lodge River]] || 151 || Near [[Kiowa, Kansas|Kiowa]] 
|-
| [[Turkey Creek (Seneca County)]] || 126 || Near [[Seneca, Kansas|Seneca]]
|-
| [[North Fork Solomon River]] || 116 || Near [[Portis, Kansas|Portis]]
|-
| [[South Fork Solomon River]] || 105 || Near [[Osborne, Kansas|Osborne]]
|-
| [[Indian Creek (Neosho River tributary)|Indian Creek]] || 102 || Near [[Leawood, Kansas|Leawood]] 
|}
Source:<ref name="AWDR">{{cite web | title=Water Resources Data for the United States | publisher=[[USGS]] | date=2013 | url=https://wdr.water.usgs.gov/allsearch.php | access-date=April 2, 2025}} Search Kansas for list of rivers. Mean flow rate is found under "Summary Statistics.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of rivers in the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*[https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/ USGS Geographic Names Information Service]
*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Kansas (1974)

==External links==
* M. A. Sophocleous and B. B. Wilson, "[http://www.kgs.ku.edu/HighPlains/atlas/atswqn.htm Surface Water in Kansas and its Interactions With Groundwater]"
* USGS: [https://ks.water.usgs.gov/ Water resources in Kansas: streamflow conditions map]

{{Rivers in the United States}}
{{Kansas}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lists of rivers of the United States by state|Kansas]]
[[Category:Rivers of Kansas| ]]
[[Category:Kansas geography-related lists|Rivers]]