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The sun sets over the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania.

John Baggaley/Getty Images
Special Report

America’s Waterways: The Past, Present and Future

Scientists endlessly study lakes and rivers, historians document them, artists paint them, and travelers continue to explore them. In a series of articles, Smithsonian magazine highlights all that draws our eyes to our nation's fresh and coastal waters.

Sunrise near St. Joe, a mining town that fell into decay about a century ago. Today, it’s a destination for people exploring the Buffalo River.

Travel

What Makes the Buffalo River the Jewel of the Ozarks

An unabashed tribute to the wild Arkansas waterway that became the nation’s first national river 50 years ago

Blue Hole Regional Park, just south of Austin, Texas, is sought after for its canopy of bald cypress trees and its two rope swings.

Travel

The Sublime Sensation of the Swimming Hole

Kick off your shoes and jump into summer's most refreshing tradition on a lazy afternoon

Shipwreck NORMAN in upper Lake Huron in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Travel

Eight of the Best Spots to Go Freshwater Diving or Snorkeling in the United States

These bucket-list underwater sites offer up megalodon teeth, manatee herds and other unique encounters

Swimmable Cities is a global alliance of local government officials, experts and advocates working to make urban waterways clean enough to swim in.

Science

Would You Jump Into Your Local River? Swimmable Cities May Be Within Reach as Once-Polluted Waterways Are Restored

Efforts to improve the “swimmability” of urban areas are gaining global traction, from Paris to Chicago

A Currier & Ives print, published in the mid- to late 19th century, depicts Crow’s Nest, a mountain along the Hudson’s west bank.

History

The History of America Flows Through the Hudson River, and the Country’s Aquatic Superhighway Is on the Rebound

The bucolic river is famous for reversing its current a few times each day. Now, an ongoing cleanup effort is reversing decades of industrial contamination

Charles Oldrieve dreamed of one day walking across the English Channel—and perhaps even the Atlantic Ocean.

History

In 1907, This Daring Performer Walked on Water From Cincinnati to New Orleans, Covering Nearly 1,600 Miles in 40 Days

Charles Oldrieve used custom-made wooden shoes to float on the water’s surface and propel himself forward

New research suggests that the Salmon River in northwest Alaska is full of toxic metals.

Smart News

Why Is This Remote and Rugged River in Alaska Turning Orange?

New research suggests the Salmon River is full of toxic metals that are likely harming fish and other aquatic creatures

A sea lamprey shows off its nightmarish mouth.

Science

This Invasive Vampire Fish Is Helping Researchers Understand the Human Nervous System in Jaw-Dropping Ways

The sea lamprey looks like it’s from another planet, but this ancient creature has a surprising amount in common with humans

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Sponsored

Oysters Tell a Surprising Story of New Jersey’s Past—and a Perfect Way to Experience its Present

These remarkable bivalves have long connected New Jersey’s people to its waters—today, they offer a delicious gateway into the state’s maritime past and sustainable future.

An orange tributary of the Kugororuk River.

Smart News

Alaska’s Rivers Are Turning Orange as Thawing Permafrost Releases Metals Into Waterways

A new study identifies at least 75 Arctic streams where minerals, especially iron, are staining water with a rusty hue

Wildlife officials released 830,000 fall-run Chinook salmon fry into Fall Creek. A large but unknown number of them died as they passed through a tunnel on the Klamath River.

Smart News

Hundreds of Thousands of Salmon Die After Release in Northern California’s Klamath River

The juvenile Chinook salmon likely died from pressure changes as they swam through an old tunnel in the Iron Gate Dam, slated to be removed this year as part of a massive demolition project

Returning Rapids Project investigator Chris Benson examines old photos of the Colorado River to see how it has changed over time.

Science

Citizen Scientists Document a Recovering Colorado River

The Returning Rapids Project charts a resurgent waterway and its surrounding ecosystems

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Science

Hear What’s Happening to the Colorado River From a Photojournalist Who Has Spent His Entire Life Alongside It

In the latest episode of “There’s More to That,” learn about the Western waterway that affects the lives of everyone in the United States

Archaeologists collect samples from a prehistoric caribou hunting site on Alpena-Amberley Ridge in Lake Huron.

History

Clues to the Lives of North America’s First Inhabitants Are Hidden Underwater

Submerged prehistory holds insights on the first humans to live in North America

A $25 million plan to uncover 1,100 feet of Jordan Creek and build three bridges is moving forward in Springfield, Missouri.

Innovation

How ‘Daylighting’ Buried Waterways Is Revitalizing Cities Across America

Urban centers are exhuming creeks and streams once covered up to control floodwater—and bringing life back in the process

The birds gather by the thousands along the Platte River.

Smart News

See Thousands of Sandhill Cranes Gather in Nebraska

Every year, travelers attempt to witness the birds on their long journey north

The Nenana Ice Classic tripod is on display alongside the Tanana River and the Alaska Railroad tracks, next to the community "watchtower" building. The tripod will be raised on the ice of the Tanana River on March 5, 2023.

Travel

The River That’s Kept Alaska Guessing for More Than a Century

The Nenana Ice Classic, started in 1917, is a high-stakes guessing game over the date, hour and minute of the ice breakup on the Tanana River

Wesley Miles, a Pima archaeologist, points out that the placement of this new canal parallel to a prehistoric channel “says something about our ancestors’ engineering skills.”

Innovation

This Native American Tribe Is Taking Back Its Water

With a new state-of-the-art irrigation project, Arizona’s Pima Indians are transforming their land into what it once was: the granary of the Southwest