Largest rivers in Colorado by average flow
Active USGS stream gauges in Colorado, ranked by average flow. The Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line gauge leads with 5,752 cfs.
| Rank | Name | Average flow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line | 5,752 cfs |
| 2 | Colorado River near Cameo, CO | 3,637 cfs |
| 3 | Colorado River below Glenwood Springs, CO | 3,162 cfs |
| 4 | Colo River below Grand Valley Diversion near Palisade, CO | 2,657 cfs |
| 5 | Gunnison River near Grand Junction, CO | 2,378 cfs |
| 6 | Colorado River near Dotsero, CO | 1,980 cfs |
| 7 | Yampa River at Deerlodge Park, CO | 1,917 cfs |
| 8 | Gunnison River at Delta, CO | 1,695 cfs |
| 9 | San Juan River at Four Corners, CO | 1,664 cfs |
| 10 | Colorado River. above Gunnison River. at Grand Junction, CO | 1,590 cfs |
| 11 | Yampa River near Maybell, CO | 1,467 cfs |
| 12 | Roaring Fork River at Glenwood Springs, CO | 1,214 cfs |
| 13 | Yampa River below Craig, CO | 1,176 cfs |
| 14 | Gunnison River below Gunnison Tunnel, CO | 1,147 cfs |
| 15 | Colorado River near Kremmling, CO | 1,138 cfs |
| 16 | Yampa River above Elkhead Creek near Hayden, CO | 1,078 cfs |
| 17 | Animas River near Cedar Hill, NM | 832 cfs |
| 18 | Arkansas River near Avondale, CO | 823 cfs |
| 19 | Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO | 748 cfs |
| 20 | Animas River at Durango, CO | 746 cfs |
| 21 | Gunnison River near Gunnison, CO | 699 cfs |
| 22 | White River below Boise Creek, near Rangely, CO | 657 cfs |
| 23 | Gunnison River at Cnty Road 32 below Gunnison, CO | 647 cfs |
| 24 | White River below Meeker, CO | 612 cfs |
| 24 | Animas River below Durango Pump Plant near Durango, CO | 612 cfs |
| 26 | White River near Meeker, CO | 589 cfs |
| 27 | Arkansas River near Nathrop, CO | 587 cfs |
| 28 | Roaring Fork River near Emma, CO | 541 cfs |
| 29 | Eagle River below Gypsum, CO | 532 cfs |
| 30 | San Juan River near Carracas, CO | 526 cfs |
How the Average flow figures spread in Colorado
- The ranking covers the 276 gauges in Colorado that have a recorded average flow in this dataset.
- The highest is Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line at 5,752 cfs; the lowest is Grand Lake Outlet below Chipmunk Ln at Grand Lake, CO at -192 cfs.
- The median average flow is 61.5 cfs.
- The gap between #1 Colorado River near Colorado-Utah State Line and #2 Colorado River near Cameo, CO is 2,115 cfs.
- The page table lists the top 30.
Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (public domain, U.S. federal data).· Updated 2026-11-02 · Text generated from the data and checked against it.
Live values are provisional USGS data. Measurements only, not a safety assessment — for flood warnings see the National Weather Service.