Rio Grande River, Colorado, New Mexico & Texas

The Rio Grande is a large, meandering river that flows north to south from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado through the center of New Mexico. This river serves as the southwestern border between the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Rio Grande means “Big River” in Spanish and is alternatively known as Rio Grande del Norte meaning “Great River of the North.” South of the U.S./Mexico border the river is called the Rio Bravo.