River Levels | Missouri River Water Trail (2024)

FAQs

How deep is the channel on the Missouri River? ›

By constricting the majority of the river's flow between sets of rock dikes located on both sides of the river, the navigation channel generally maintains a minimal depth of 9'.

Navigation on the Missouri River occurs from Sioux City to the mouth at St. Louis, a distance of 734 miles. In 1994, commercial barge traffic on the river was 1.5 million tons. Approximately 140 docks and terminals operate along the river.

The actual depth of the river channel typically ranges from 10-20 feet, with sharply decreasing depth outside of the channel. Lower Missouri River paddlers often take note of the river level at which the wing dams/rock dikes are exposed.

The normal rate of flow is 3 to 5 mph. Find water flows and temperatures within the Useful Links box located on the right side of the page. The 59-mile reach stretches from about one mile below Gavins Point Dam to Nebraska's Ponca State Park. Gavins Point Dam regulates water flow on this reach of the river.

The two longest rivers in the United States are the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. The Mississippi River runs through ten U.S. states. It starts in Minnesota near the border we share with Canada.

Missouri's deepest lake is man-made Table Rock Lake, 220 feet at its deepest point.

The Missouri River will travel more than 2,300 miles before it joins the Mississippi in its namesake state at St. Louis, forming the world's fourth longest river system as it rolls south to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Missouri Bootheel is a salient (protrusion) located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot.

USGS lists the Missouri as the longest American river (2,540 miles) and the Mississippi River as the 2nd (at 2,340 miles). Both fall far behind the Nile (4,132 miles), Amazon (4,000 miles), and Yangtze (3,915 miles) as the world's top three longest rivers.

However, the Mississippi was explored first and thus designated the primary stem, leaving the Missouri to receive tributary status. Also included in the argument is whether or not the Yellowstone River, the Missouri's other major partner, should have received top billing … another question for the ages.

Did the Missouri River ever flow north? ›

The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. With its source in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, the Missouri flows first north, then east and south for 3,767 km (2,341 miles) before joining the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri.

The slowest moving water is next to the bottom and each successive layer of water toward the surface flows faster than the layer below it. The fastest moving water is found just below the surface. This is because the air next to the surface creates friction which slows the surface water slightly.

The deepest part of the channel is called the thalweg, which meanders with the curve the of the stream. Flow around curves follows a spiral path.

The Mississippi River is home to 360 species of fish, 326 species of birds, 145 species of amphibians and 50 species of mammals. The Mississippi River is the third largest watershed in the world. The deepest place on the Mississippi River is 200-feet deep and is located near Algiers Point in New Orleans.

Channel - the main bed of a river, stream, bayou, etc. Thalweg - the deepest point in a channel; the shallowest in the Mississippi River in Louisiana is south of Baton Rouge at 35 ft; the deepest is off the Moon Walk in the French Quarter of New Orleans where it is over 200 ft.