The Rio Grande at 1,900 miles is the fifth longest river in the U.S. The river runs from the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas. Approximately 1,240 miles of the Rio Grande serves as the border for the U.S. and Mexico. Rio Grande passes through Big Bend National Park and White Rock Canyon in New Mexico.
The Colorado River is a 1,400-mile body of water running from the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado to the Gulf of California in Mexico. The Colorado River Basin runs through Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California and Nevada.
The Great Salt Lake in northern Utah is the largest natural lake in the western U.S., with a width of 35 miles and length of 75 miles. This river has a large concentration of salt since it does not have any outlets. According to the Utah Travel Industry, the Great Salt Lake has too much saline to support wildlife, but does host algae species.
Lake Tahoe rests on the border of California and Nevada and is in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This natural body of water has 71 miles of shoreline. The lake is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide. Lake Tahoe's surface area is 193 miles.
With a length of over 21,000 feet, the Fort Peck Dam in Montana is one of the largest hydraulically filled man-made lakes in the U .S. This dam was completed in 1940 and was one of the largest public works projects during this era. Tours are available at the Fort Peck Power Plant Museum.
The largest man-made reservoir in the U.S. is Lake Mead, located on the border of Arizona and Nevada. The lake was completed in 1936. Lake Mead is 247 square miles and has approximately 550 miles of shoreline. The water in Lake Mead is impounded by Hoover Dam.
San Francisco Bay is one of the largest estuaries on the U.S. Pacific Coast. The bay encompasses approximately 1,600 square miles and drains more than 40 percent of California. The bay's estuary area includes San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay.
Puget Sound in western Washington is a 1.6-million-acre ocean inlet with approximately 2,500 miles of shoreline. Many of Washington's rivers feed into the sound, including the Deschutes, Snohomish and Pullyap. Cities on Puget Sound include Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma.