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Colorado River -

One of the most celebrated waterways in the country, the Colorado River is synonymous with the great outdoors and especially adventure watersports such as white-water rafting. Its tumbling rapids are tamed at Horseshoe Bend (pictured) in Arizona—one of the most dramatic perspectives found anywhere along its 2,330-km (1,450-mi) watercourse.

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Missouri River -

The longest river in North America, the Missouri rises majestically in Montana to flow through six other states. Along the way, this venerated waterway provides a sparkling addition to some of America's most dramatic natural wonders.

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Hudson River -

Named after English explorer Henry Hudson, this magical waterway is familiar to many. It rises in the forested Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York and flows lazily southward through the Hudson Valley to the Upper New York Bay between New York City and Jersey City. It eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean at New York Harbor, where the waterway lends perspective to a dynamic Manhattan backdrop.

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Salmon River -

The Salmon River in Idaho is known internationally as the "River of No Return." Indeed, the 1954 movie of the same name starring Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum was partly filmed on the river. Several national forests and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area provide for numerous recreation opportunities within the river's watershed, including angling. However, overfishing has meant a salmon recovery program is currently underway to help replenish stocks.

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Kenai River -

Formed by melted glacial ice, the crystalline Kenai River runs for 131 km (82) from Kenai Lake to the Cook inlet of the Pacific Ocean through beautiful unspoiled wilderness. The river is the most popular sport fishing destination in Alaska, with king salmon being the prize catch.

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Columbia River -

The largest river in the Pacific Northwest region, the Columbia rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia in Canada to meander through the US states of Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Its glassy-blue water is particularly alluring seen from the Rowen Crest Viewpoint in Oregon (pictured).

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Hanalei River -

The lush, verdant Lower Hanalei Valley on the Hawaiian island of Kauai provides a stunning, sub-tropical setting for the Hanalei River, the lower portion of which snakes past the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge.

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Snake River -

Following the Snake River from its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park through Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington takes the traveler past some of the most magnificent scenery in the nation. There are photo ops on every bend, including this view of Mount Moran from the Oxbow Bend Turnout at Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyoming.

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Green River -

The Green River flows through Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, dropping 914 m (3,000 ft) at its highest point to flow slowly more than 724 km (450 mi) through Utah and other Instagrammable destinations that include Canyonlands National Park near Moab (pictured).

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Potomac River -

The Potomac forms part of the borders between Maryland and Washington, D.C., and indeed the river is very much part of the US capital's urban makeup. Just 23 km (14 mi) upstream from the city is Great Falls Park in Virginia, where the river can be admired in all its wild, untamed glory.

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St. Johns River -

Florida's longest river flows 498 km (310 mi) north from its headwaters at Blue Cypress Lake in Indian River County to its mouth where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean east of Jacksonville. Its upper basin is characterized by several lakes. The middle basin, meanwhile, is home in winter to one third of the state's manatee population.

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Rio Grande -

Big Bend National Park in Texas (pictured) is where best to appreciate this legendary waterway. It's here after traversing the length of New Mexico that the Rio Grande becomes part of the Mexico–United States border.

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Tennessee River -

In fact the largest tributary of the Ohio River, the Tennessee River is 1,049 km (652 mi) in length and has served as a significant route for boat travel since the 17th century. The waterway is occasionally still referred to as the "River of the Cherokees" as the Cherokee people had their homelands along its banks.

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Mississippi River -

The mighty Mississippi is one of the most famous rivers in the world. From its source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, its flows generally south for 3,770 km (2,340 mi) to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico, passing through 10 states as it does so. To appreciate the river in its nascent state, admire the sapphire-blue headwaters as the currents gather pace in Minnesota.

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Deschutes River -

A major tributary of the Columbia River, Deschutes provides Oregon with its most popular white-water rafting experience. The Deschutes River State Recreation Area is also appreciated for its unspoiled scenery and ecological importance.

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Arkansas River -

The Arkansas River tumbles and cascades from high up in the scenic Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado, to flow into the Midwest via Kansas, and finally into the South through Oklahoma and Arkansas. Its sparkling headwaters gather volume with the spring ice melt to make the upper Arkansas River a huge draw for white-water rafting and kayaking.

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Yellowstone River -

Rising in northwestern Wyoming in the Absaroka Range, the Yellowstone River is a tributary of the upper Missouri River, but has an identity all of its own. It's named for one of America's most celebrated national parks and is particularly photogenic as it squeezes through the park's Grand Canyon to thunder over Yellowstone Falls.

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Koyukuk River -

Alaska's Koyukuk River serves as a tributary of the Yukon River, its headwaters above the Arctic Circle in the Endicott Mountains. The river bends and curls through a national park and two wildlife reserves, and the region includes bald eagles, brown and black bears, beaver, marten, and river otter among its resident fauna.

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Little River -

Little River Canyon National Preserve is named for the Little River, which flows for almost its entire length along the middle of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. Tourists gather at Little River Falls for the spectacular waterfalls that churn the river into a white-water frenzy.

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San Joaquin River -

Central California's longest river, the San Joaquin rises in the high Sierra Nevada, from headwaters that include Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. The 589-km (366-mi) waterway courses through the fertile San Joaquin Valley south of Sacramento where it swells into the Sacramento River. An abundance of wildlife depends on these two rivers. The waterways also support some of the most productive and profitable agriculture in the world.

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Susquehanna River -

The grand and noble Susquehanna is the longest river on the east coast. Running through New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, this is also one of the oldest river systems in the world, with geologists suggesting the waterway is over 300 million years old! The Susquehanna courses through the Bald Eagle Mountains and the Appalachians, making it a favorite diversion for hikers.

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Gila River -

Indigenous peoples first settled the banks of the Gila River in New Mexico and Arizona over 2,000 years ago. Its headwaters are located in America's first designated wilderness area and help sustain an abundance of wildlife including elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and black bears.

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Kinnickinnic River, Wisconsin -

Known as the "Kinni" by those who enjoy it, the spring-fed Kinnickinnic ripples through northwestern Wisconsin as a world-class trout stream. The trails hugging the riverbank provide leisurely walking, hiking, running, and mountain biking options.

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Apalachicola River -

Named for the Apalachicola people who used to live along the river, this Florida watercourse actually rises in Georgia to eventually become part of a diverse delta complex containing tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, and coastal dunes. The protected Apalachicola National Forest preserves much of this precious habitat.

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Niobrara River -

Cutting a path through north-central Nebraska is the Niobrara River. Its breathtaking outlook is such that the waterway is designated as the Niobrara National Scenic River. Besides outstanding watersport options, the river is known for its extraordinary wealth of plant species and a variety of fauna, including the river otter and even bison.

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White River -

Missouri and Arkansas share the 1,162-km (722-mi) White River, from its headwaters near Fayetteville through the mountainous region of the Ozarks before tumbling into the Delta. Despite it popularity with anglers and kayakers, you can follow its course for hours without seeing a soul.

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Chattahoochee River -

A tributary of the Apalachicola River, what the Chattahoochee lacks in volume in makes up for in beauty. The river forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida-Georgia border. The river's banks provide some great hiking and cycling opportunities, and the destination is especially scenic early mornings when mist hangs lazily over the river's surface.

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Connecticut River -

Located within parts of four New England states—New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut—this river snakes through a bucolic landscape that's steeped in history. The system is a designated National Blueway, a water trail distinguished for its navigable waters. The Connecticut flows past numerous historical sites, including the locations of former Native American camps and later Dutch and Puritan settlements.

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Mohawk River -

The Mohawk River's natural showstopper is the wonderful Cohoes Falls, located near the eastern end of the waterway. Named for the indigenous people who used the river to bring furs to trade with the Dutch, the Mohawk joins the Hudson River Cohoes, just north of Albany, New York.

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James River -

Nourishing both Dakotas, the James River flows through some of North Dakota and entirely through South Dakota, across a flat but fertile landscape. Contrary to popular belief, the river is not named for the city of Jamestown, in North Dakota, itself named after Jamestown in Virginia— the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.

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Cimarron River -

Just 35 m (22 mi) long, the Cimarron River moves slowly through an amazing landscape of woods and mountains, especially apparent near the Silver Jack Reservoir in the Uncompahgre National Forest in Colorado.

Sources: (NY Water Environment Association) (American Rivers) (The Environmental Magazine)

See also: The best Rocky Mountain selfie hot spots

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