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The Colorado River is a major river of the western U.S. and northwestern Mexico in North America. Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado. It flows southwest through the Colorado Plateau country of western Colorado, southeastern Utah and northwestern Arizona where it flows through the Grand Canyon. It turns abruptly south forming the Arizona–Nevada border in Lake Mead and the Arizona–California border below Hoover Dam. Before entering Mexico in the Colorado Desert most of its waters are diverted into the Imperial Valley of southern California. In Mexico its course forms the boundary between Sonora and Baja California before entering the Gulf of California. ==Headwaters== The Colorado River rises on the Continental Divide at La Poudre Pass, in Rocky Mountain National Park, about . north of Lake Granby, as a tiny stream draining a wet meadow. At the river's headwater, the Continental Divide forms the boundary between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean watersheds of North America, between Colorado's Grand and Larimer counties, and the northern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. The river's first diversion is here at its headwater. The Grand Ditch redirects water from the Never Summer Mountains, which would have flowed into the Colorado River, to instead flow across the divide through La Poudre Pass to irrigate farmland to the east. About a mile (1.5 km) downstream from its source, the Colorado River has carved its first canyon, the narrow, deep Little Yellowstone Canyon. It then flows through the broad Kawuneeche Valley, where it is joined by U.S. Highway 34, which will roughly parallel it to the town of Granby. It finally exits Rocky Mountain National Park, flowing into Shadow Mountain Lake and then into Lake Granby, which are portions of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, a large trans-basin water storage and delivery project that diverts water from the Colorado River under the Front Range mountains to provide an agricultural and municipal water supply for the northern Front Range and plains of Colorado. Starting in Granby, the river is roughly paralleled by U.S. Highway 40 to the town of Kremmling, and by the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad until about the Utah border, carrying the Amtrak California Zephyr passenger train. The canyons and valleys of the Upper Colorado River are among the scenic attractions for passengers on this rail route. Just downstream from Granby, the Colorado is joined by the Fraser River. At Hot Sulphur Springs the river flows through Byers Canyon and then is joined by the Williams Fork. Just below Kremmling it is joined by the Blue River before flowing through Gore Canyon, famous for its challenging rapids for the sport of whitewater rafting, and where it drops significantly until State Highway 131 crosses at the village of State Bridge. It meets the Eagle River in the town of Dotsero, from where Interstate 70 will parallel the Colorado almost until it enters Utah. It then flows through Glenwood Canyon, emerging at the city of Glenwood Springs where it is joined by the swift flowing Roaring Fork River. West of Glenwood Springs, the Colorado runs through De Beque Canyon and the Grand Valley and is joined by the Gunnison River at Grand Junction. Though many of the river's uppermost tributaries within Colorado are small, there are exceptions, such as the Gunnison and Roaring Fork Rivers, in which massive amounts of water flow. From there it flows in an arc west-north through Ruby Canyon, where it crosses the Utah state line, into Westwater Canyon. Here, the Colorado ranges from wide and from in depth with occasional deeper areas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Colorado River is a major river of the western U.S. and northwestern Mexico in North America. Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado. It flows southwest through the Colorado Plateau country of western Colorado, southeastern Utah and northwestern Arizona where it flows through the Grand Canyon. It turns abruptly south forming the Arizona–Nevada border in Lake Mead and the Arizona–California border below Hoover Dam. Before entering Mexico in the Colorado Desert most of its waters are diverted into the Imperial Valley of southern California. In Mexico its course forms the boundary between Sonora and Baja California before entering the Gulf of California.==Headwaters==The Colorado River rises on the Continental Divide at La Poudre Pass, in Rocky Mountain National Park, about . north of Lake Granby, as a tiny stream draining a wet meadow. At the river's headwater, the Continental Divide forms the boundary between the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean watersheds of North America, between Colorado's Grand and Larimer counties, and the northern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park.The river's first diversion is here at its headwater. The Grand Ditch redirects water from the Never Summer Mountains, which would have flowed into the Colorado River, to instead flow across the divide through La Poudre Pass to irrigate farmland to the east.About a mile (1.5 km) downstream from its source, the Colorado River has carved its first canyon, the narrow, deep Little Yellowstone Canyon. It then flows through the broad Kawuneeche Valley, where it is joined by U.S. Highway 34, which will roughly parallel it to the town of Granby. It finally exits Rocky Mountain National Park, flowing into Shadow Mountain Lake and then into Lake Granby, which are portions of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, a large trans-basin water storage and delivery project that diverts water from the Colorado River under the Front Range mountains to provide an agricultural and municipal water supply for the northern Front Range and plains of Colorado.Starting in Granby, the river is roughly paralleled by U.S. Highway 40 to the town of Kremmling, and by the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad until about the Utah border, carrying the Amtrak California Zephyr passenger train. The canyons and valleys of the Upper Colorado River are among the scenic attractions for passengers on this rail route.Just downstream from Granby, the Colorado is joined by the Fraser River. At Hot Sulphur Springs the river flows through Byers Canyon and then is joined by the Williams Fork. Just below Kremmling it is joined by the Blue River before flowing through Gore Canyon, famous for its challenging rapids for the sport of whitewater rafting, and where it drops significantly until State Highway 131 crosses at the village of State Bridge. It meets the Eagle River in the town of Dotsero, from where Interstate 70 will parallel the Colorado almost until it enters Utah.It then flows through Glenwood Canyon, emerging at the city of Glenwood Springs where it is joined by the swift flowing Roaring Fork River. West of Glenwood Springs, the Colorado runs through De Beque Canyon and the Grand Valley and is joined by the Gunnison River at Grand Junction. Though many of the river's uppermost tributaries within Colorado are small, there are exceptions, such as the Gunnison and Roaring Fork Rivers, in which massive amounts of water flow. From there it flows in an arc west-north through Ruby Canyon, where it crosses the Utah state line, into Westwater Canyon. Here, the Colorado ranges from wide and from in depth with occasional deeper areas.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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