List of Rivers of Texas - Longest Rivers

Longest Rivers

Of these ten rivers, all empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Four of the rivers are tributaries: the Pecos flows into the Rio Grande, the Red into the Mississippi River, and the Sabine and Neches flow into Sabine Lake, which is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the Sabine Pass. The Canadian is a tributary of a tributary. It flows into the Arkansas River, which is itself a tributary of the Mississippi.

1. Rio Grande – 1,896 miles (3,051 km), 1,250 miles (2,010 km) of which are in Texas — although technically on the border between Texas and Mexico
2. Red River – 1,360 miles (2,190 km) of which 680 are in Texas
3. Brazos River – 1,280 miles (2,060 km) of which 840 miles (1,350 km) are in Texas, making it the longest section of river in Texas
4. Pecos River – 926 miles (1,490 km) most of which is in New Mexico
5. Colorado River – 862 miles (1,387 km) almost entirely in Texas of which 600 miles (970 km) are not dry
6. Canadian River – 760 miles (1,220 km) of which 200 miles (320 km) are in Texas
7. Trinity River – 710 miles (1,140 km) entirely in Texas
8. Sabine River – 555 miles (893 km) of which 360 miles (580 km) are in Texas
9. Neches River – 416 miles (669 km) entirely in Texas
10. Nueces River – 315 miles (507 km) entirely in Texas

The Trinity River is the longest river with its entire drainage basin in Texas. The Colorado is the longest river with both its source based on river name and its mouth in the state. The actual longest source of the Colorado is in New Mexico.