Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

I was trying to answer this question for a friend of mine, but the truth is I really don't know.

What is the difference between a creek and a river? or should I say crik :)

I've been on some mighty small "rivers" that seemed like creeks to me, especially during the dry season :)
and been on a few creeks that might have passed for small rivers.
So when does a creek / crik become a river?

Interchangable -- only criteria is that creek are usually smaller than rivers within a geological area. So what may be considered a creek in a temperate region may be a river in desert. Because of the confusion hydrologists tend to simply call them all "streams" and then use "order" to denote size -- actually not size but "hierarchy of tributaries" with first order streams being the smallest and the largest of them all the Amazon a 12th order stream. When two first order streams merge they form a second order stream and on down the line.

Fortunately I like the sound of Cadron Creek better than Cadron River.

I thought "rivers" have to be a certain length and navigable (sp?) for that length (like 50 or 100 miles) and otherwise it's a "creek". We've got to have environmental scientists on this board who know the answer???? So when is it a brook, or a babbling brook?

Creek have more rocks than water,
Rivers more water than rocks.

Maybe I'm thinking of creeks vs steep creeks.........

As I understand, a river is 100 miles or more and a creek is less than 100 miles.

One enviro sci dictionary defines rivers interchangeably with stream, creek, branch, etc.. So, for the technical definition, I'll go with Tris.

DAve H, check yore PM.s

A creek is something you get in your neck ,or shoulder, after a day on the cossatot.
like last sunday.

Harlan

A brook becomes a babbling brook after his 6th shot of Yeggermeister...
and his 4th "I love you, Man!" while mangling your neck.

was that the Cossatot Creek or the Cossatot River? now I am really confuzed.