Colorado History: Do Colorado

Have you ever been whitewater rafting down the Arkansas River or fishing in Carter Lake?  Colorado's lakes and rivers provide fun and recreation for many Colorado families and their visitors.  They also supply much needed water to Colorado and other states.  In fact, more important rivers begin in Colorado than in any other state.  Because of this, Colorado is known as the "Mother of Rivers." 

The Colorado River is one of the most important rivers in the United States.  It begins in the Colorado Rockies and supplies water to six other states and part of Mexico.  Although the Colorado River begins in Colorado, the state is only allowed to use a certain amount of water and must leave the rest to flow through the other states.

The Rio Grande River is another important river in Colorado.  Rio Grande means "big river" in Spanish.  The Rio Grande River is about 1,880 miles long and flows south through the high valleys of Colorado and New Mexico before turning east to form the border between Texas and Mexico.  Use the map below to trace the routes of the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers in Colorado. 

Colorado's Other Rivers

Colorado has hundreds of large and small lakes.  The largest natural lake is Grand Lake, which covers one square mile and is a popular sailing and fishing spot.  Grand Lake was formed naturally, but many of Colorado's most popular lakes are artificial or man-made.  This means that a dam was built on a river.  The dam acts as a wall and creates a lake or reservoir that can be used for recreation, irrigation, or water storage.