New Mexico Rivers

The state of New Mexico contains three distinct river systems: the Rio Grande, the Canadian River, which eventually drains into the Mississippi, and the San Juan and Gila rivers, which both drain into the Colorado. A fifth major river, the Pecos, drains into the Rio Grande in Texas and so is considered part of that system. Numerous smaller rivers and creeks all drain into one of these systems, or in a few cases into closed basins with no outflow. The Rio Grande is the dominant river system in New Mexico in terms of the area of its watershed, or the area of land from which water drains into the river.