Little Platte River
The Little Platte River is a stream in the U.S. state of Missouri.[1] It is a tributary of Platte River and is 66.4 miles long[2], which makes it its second longest tributary. The river is the primary inflow for Smithville Lake and is its outflow before joining the Platte River. The stream is monitored at two locations, at Smithville[3]. and just upstream from Plattsburg[4].
The Little Platte River headwaters in southern
The stream flows over 10 miles through the large reservoir before reaching the dam. The Little Platte River is joined by 11 named tributaries and countless unnamed ones along this stretch. Additionally, the river enters Clay County while part of the reservoir. After flowing out from the Smithville Lake Dam, it flows through Smithville and continues west. Various tributaries from the northern Kansas City metropolitan area flow into it along its 6-mile course westward before depositing into the Platte River in Platte County.
The Little Platte River is the second largest watershed in Clay County, after the Fishing River.[5].
Tributaries
There are 25 named direct and indirect tributaries to the Little Platte River.[2]
Clinton County
Clay County
- Owens Branch
- Second Creek
- Wilkerson Creek
- Rocky Branch
- Polecat Creek
- Crows Creek
- Mitchell Branch
- Holtzclaw Branch
- Camp Branch
- Eberts Branch
- Owl Creek
- Duncan Branch
Platte County
See also
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Platte River
- ^ a b Bayless, Mike (2022). Platte River Watershed and Inventory Assessment (PDF). Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
- ^ "Little Platte River at Smithville, MO".
- ^ "Little Platte River near Plattsburg, MO".
- ^ "Watersheds of Clay County, MO".