Milk River (Alberta–Montana)
| Milk River | |
|---|---|
The Milk River in Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park | |
Milk River watershed (Interactive map) | |
| Etymology | Named by the Lewis and Clark Expedition for its milky color |
| Location | |
| Countries | United States and Canada |
| State | Montana |
| Province | Alberta |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of South and Middle Forks |
| • location | Glacier County, Montana |
| • coordinates | 48°51′20″N 113°01′10″W / 48.85556°N 113.01944°W |
| • elevation | 4,403 ft (1,342 m) |
| Mouth | Missouri River |
• location | Valley County, Montana |
• coordinates | 48°03′26″N 106°19′07″W / 48.05722°N 106.31861°W |
• elevation | 2,024 ft (617 m) |
| Length | 729 mi (1,173 km) |
| Basin size | 23,800 sq mi (62,000 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Nashua, Montana, 22.7 mi (36.5 km) from the mouth |
| • average | 618 cu ft/s (17.5 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 45,300 cu ft/s (1,280 m3/s) |
Milk River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 729 miles (1,173 km) long, in the U.S. state of Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, the river drains a sparsely populated, semi-arid watershed of 23,800 square miles (62,000 km2), ending just east of Fort Peck, Montana.