| North Fork Smoky Hill River | |
|---|---|
Map of the Smoky Hill drainage basin
| |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado, Kansas |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Cheyenne County, Colorado |
| • coordinates | 39°02′06″N 102°48′28″W / 39.03500°N 102.80778°W / 39.03500; -102.80778 |
| • elevation | 4,811 ft (1,466 m) |
| Mouth | Smoky Hill River |
• location | Logan County, Kansas |
• coordinates | 38°55′13″N 101°16′51″W / 38.92028°N 101.28083°W / 38.92028; -101.28083[1] |
• elevation | 2,940 ft (900 m) |
| Length | 195 mi (314 km) |
| Basin size | 759 sq mi (1,970 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Watersheds | North Fork Smoky Hill-Smoky Hill-Kansas-Missouri-Mississippi |
The North Fork Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great PlainsofNorth America. A tributary of the Smoky Hill River, it flows from eastern Colorado into western Kansas.[2][3]
The North Fork Smoky Hill River rises in the High Plains region of the Great Plains.[4] Its source lies in extreme northern Cheyenne County, Colorado 29 miles (47 km) west-northwest of Cheyenne Wells, the county seat. From there, the river flows east then east-northeast into Kansas.[2] In south-central Sherman County, it has been dammed to form a small reservoir, Sherman State Fishing Lake.[5][6] A few miles east of the reservoir, the river turns southeast and continues to its confluence with the Smoky Hill River in central Logan County 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Russell Springs.[3]
The river has a total length of 195 miles (314 km) and drains an area of 759 square miles (1,970 km2).[7]
The river is intermittent with water flowing only during and after rains.[8]
