page_title: Big Thompson River
section_title: Course of the river
hierarchical_section_title: Big Thompson River / Course of the river
caption_attribution_description: English: Big Thompson River in Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park Deutsch: Big Thompson River in Moraine Park im Rocky Mountain National Park
context_page_description: The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.
context_section_description: The headwaters of the Big Thompson River begin in Forest Canyon within Rocky Mountain National Park in Larimer County, Colorado. The river flows east through Moraine Park to the town of Estes Park. There it is held in Lake Estes by Olympus Dam before being released into the Big Thompson Canyon. The North Fork Big Thompson River also begins in Rocky Mountain National Park, on the northern slopes of the Mummy Range. This tributary flows east, through the town of Glen Haven, where it merges with the Big Thompson River in the town of Drake, in the Big Thompson Canyon.
  From Lake Estes, the river descends 1/2 mile (800 m) in elevation through the mountains in the spectacular 25 mi (40 km) Big Thompson Canyon, emerging from the foothills west of Loveland. It flows eastward, south of Loveland across the plains into Weld County and joins the South Platte approximately 5 mi (8 km) south of Greeley. It receives the Little Thompson River approximately four mi (6 km) upstream from its mouth.
  Water resources in the Big Thompson River are managed by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.
caption: Big Thompson River in Moraine Park in the Rocky Mountain National Park
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