An Overview of Indiana's Rivers and Lakes

Largest and Most Notable Rivers & Lakes

Indiana sits at a crossroads of North American drainage. The Wabash River crosses the state westward to the Ohio River, while the White River (with West Fork and East Fork) drains much of central and southern Indiana into the Wabash. Northern basins include the Kankakee River (historic Grand Kankakee Marsh), the St. Joseph River (to Lake Michigan via South Bend), and the St. Joseph/St. Marys that form the Maumee River at Fort Wayne. Signature tributaries include the Tippecanoe, Mississinewa, Salamonie, Wildcat, Sugar, Blue, Patoka, Whitewater, and Muscatatuck. Major waters feature Lake Michigan (IN waters) and reservoirs such as Monroe, Patoka, Brookville, Mississinewa, Salamonie, Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon), Cagles Mill (Cataract), J. E. Roush (Huntington), and metro lakes Geist, Morse, and Eagle Creek. The state’s largest natural lakes include Wawasee, Maxinkuckee, and the Chain O’Lakes cluster in the northeast (Lake James, Jimmerson, Snow, Clear, Hamilton, George, and others).

Water Sources & Flow

Flows are driven by rainfall and snowmelt across glacial plains and till, with low‑gradient meanders in central/southern valleys and channelized reaches on agricultural lands. Northern outlets reach Lake Michigan and the Maumee–Great Lakes system; most of Indiana drains to the Wabash–Ohio–Mississippi.

River & Lake Types

Indiana features:

Glacial‑formed lakes and kettle chains (Wawasee, James, Chain O’Lakes).
Large multi‑purpose reservoirs (Monroe, Patoka, Brookville, Mississinewa, Salamonie) built for flood control, supply, and recreation.
Low‑gradient blackwater/oxbow floodplains along the Wabash, White, and Patoka.
Karst spring creeks & caves in the south (Blue River watershed).

Navigation & Dams

Active commercial navigation occurs along the Ohio River and in industrial harbors on Lake Michigan (Burns Harbor/Indiana Harbor). USACE reservoirs — Monroe, Brookville, Mississinewa, Salamonie, Cecil M. Harden, Cagles Mill, J. E. Roush — moderate floods and provide recreation. The historic Wabash & Erie Canal once linked the Great Lakes to the Ohio.

Recreation

Paddling on the Tippecanoe, Blue, Sugar, and Wildcat; sailing and fishing on Monroe, Brookville, Patoka, Mississinewa, Salamonie, Raccoon, Geist, and Morse; beaches and dunes on Lake Michigan.

Flooding & Water‑Quality

Levee overtopping and backwater flooding affect the Wabash and White valleys; nutrient runoff and combined sewer overflows are ongoing priorities in urban/agricultural basins. Aquatic invasive species management is active near Great Lakes connections.

Indiana Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Water Features

Wabash River, IN Ohio River (IN reach), IN White River (West Fork), IN White River (East Fork), IN White River (mainstem), IN Kankakee River (IN reach), IN St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), IN Little Calumet River (IN), IN Grand Calumet River, IN Indiana Harbor Canal, IN Burns Waterway, IN Maumee River (IN reach), IN St. Joseph River (Maumee basin), IN St. Marys River (IN reach), IN Tippecanoe River, IN Mississinewa River, IN Salamonie River, IN Eel River (Wabash trib.), IN Eel River (White River trib.), IN Wildcat Creek, IN Sugar Creek (Wabash trib.), IN Raccoon Creek (Wabash trib.), IN Blue River, IN Patoka River, IN Pigeon River (NE IN), IN Elkhart River, IN Yellow River (Kankakee trib.), IN Iroquois River (IN reach), IN Little Vermilion River (IL/IN), IN Whitewater River, IN Driftwood River, IN Big Blue River, IN Flatrock River, IN Fall Creek, IN Eagle Creek (Marion/Boone/Hendricks), IN White Lick Creek, IN Bean Blossom Creek, IN Big Pine Creek, IN Busseron Creek, IN Pigeon Creek (Evansville), IN Muscatatuck River, IN Vermillion River (IL) — see Little Vermilion (IN reach), IN Potato Creek, IN Lake Michigan (Indiana waters), IN Monroe Lake, IN Patoka Lake, IN Brookville Lake, IN Mississinewa Lake, IN Salamonie Lake, IN Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon Lake), IN Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract Lake), IN J. Edward Roush Lake (Huntington), IN Geist Reservoir, IN Morse Reservoir, IN Eagle Creek Reservoir, IN Lake Wawasee, IN Lake Maxinkuckee, IN Lake Shafer, IN Lake Freeman, IN Lake James, IN Jimmerson Lake, IN Snow Lake, IN Clear Lake (Steuben Co), IN Crooked Lake (Steuben Co), IN Hamilton Lake, IN Lake George (Steuben), IN Sylvan Lake, IN Winona Lake, IN Pike Lake (Warsaw), IN Webster Lake, IN Tippecanoe Lake, IN Bass Lake (Starke Co), IN Cedar Lake (Lake Co), IN Pine Lake (LaPorte), IN Stone Lake (LaPorte), IN Lake Lemon, IN Hardy Lake, IN Prairie Creek Reservoir, IN Griffy Lake, IN West Boggs Lake, IN Hovey Lake, IN Summit Lake, IN Chain O’Lakes (state park lakes), IN Wabash & Erie Canal (historic), IN