The Canadian River is a very long (760 miles), major U.S. waterway that flows from its headwaters in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in far southern Colorado border near Raton Pass, down through eastcentral New Mexico, then east across the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma, where it drains a sizeable portion of that state before reaching its confluence with the Arkansas River just west of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Starting as a narrow river, the Canadian gains in size after entering Oklahoma, and becomes a waterway that, in places, is more than a mile wide. The river is dammed at the McIntosh-Haskell County Line forming Lake Eufaula, below which the river is frequently plied with very large commercial traffic including barges and ships making that section dangerous for paddling, though it is not too hospitable anyway because of its lake-like characteristics of depth, unusual currents and incredible width. However, most of the river through Oklahoma is navigable in canoes and kayaks from the Texas-Oklahoma border in the Antelope Hills north of the Black Kettle National Grasslands between IH 40 to the south and US Highway 60 to the north all the way to Lake Eufaula. The North Canadian River flows through Oklahoma City, then joins the South Canadian River at Lake Eufaula. The Little River (the one that flows through Oklahoma City) joins the South Canadian River between Ada and Holdenville. From Lake Eufaula, the Canadian River flows east about 20 miles to its Arkansas River confluence at Robert S. Kerr Lake southeast of Muskogee. Most of the river flows through largely undeveloped areas of remote prairieland with few signs of civilization and even fewer services, so take whatever you need.

Click the links below for information regarding the section of the Canadian River and its tributaries where you want to paddle.

[ North Canadian River ] [ South Canadian River ]
[ Upper Beaver River ] [ Lower Beaver River ] [ Deep Fork River ] [ Goff River ] [ Kiowa River ] [ Little River (North) ]