After the North Platte and the South Platte rivers join to form the Platte River, over most of its length it is a sandy, broad, shallow, braided river.
Its many shallow channels and islands and ever-changing sandbars made navigation difficult; it was never used as a major water transportation route.
 The Platte flows in a large arc, east-southeast to near Fort Kearny and then east-northeast, across Nebraska south of Grand Island and on to Columbus.
The Platte River is joined from the north by the about 70-mile-long (110 km) Loup River about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Columbus.
 During pioneer days, a Loup River ferry crossed the river.
From Columbus, the Platte flows almost due east about 50 miles (80 km) past North Bend and then on to Fremont.

Near Fremont, the Platte bends south and then east around the location of Omaha in a large "L" turn.
Near Fremont the Platte turns sharply and flows south-southeast about 10 miles (16 km) to about Waterloo, Nebraska—located about 20 miles (32 km) west of Omaha.
Near Waterloo the Platte turns even more and heads almost due south for about 10 miles (16 km).
 About 30 miles (48 km) east-southeast of Waterloo and about 30 miles (48 km) from the Platte's confluence with the Missouri River, the Platte is joined from the north by the Elkhorn River.
 The Elkhorn, a 290-mile-long (470 km) river, originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River.
The Elkhorn joins the Platte on its south-bound path just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mile (2 km) south and 3 miles (5 km) west of Gretna.
The pioneers leaving from near Omaha (established 1854) or Council Bluffs, Iowa (established 1846) used the Mormon Trail north of the Platte River and had to ferry across the Elkhorn.
 After the Union Pacific railroad was constructed west from Omaha in 1866, it had to build a major bridge across the Elkhorn.
After the confluence of the Elkhorn and the Platte River, the Platte continues southward, about 7 miles (11 km) before it turns sharply and heads almost due East for about 20 miles (32 km) before its confluence with the Missouri River.
Sarpy County is shaped like a crescent, being bounded on the east by the Missouri River, on the south and west by the Platte, and on the north by Douglas County which contains Omaha.
The Platte-Missouri River confluence is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Omaha.

Including the North Platte River, the Platte River stretches over 850 miles (1,400 km), with a drainage basin of about 90,000 square miles (230,000 km²).
The mean annual flow is estimated at 3,240 cu ft/s (92 m³/s).
The Platte drains one of the most arid areas of the Great Plains with a flow that is considerably lower than rivers of comparable length in North America.
For much of its length, it is a classic wide, muddy and shallow braided stream which in the lower reaches flows in a floodplain bordered by bluffs.
During pioneer days, the common humorous description was that the Platte was "a mile wide at the mouth, but only six inches deep."
49ers said it was "too thick to drink, too thin to plow".
In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America.
The central Platte River valley is an important stopover for migratory water birds, such as the whooping crane and sandhill crane, in their yearly traversal of the Central Flyway.
Fossil evidence in the Platte River valley indicates this crane stopover has been active for over 10 million years.

Since the mid-20th century, this river has shrunk significantly.
This reduction in size is attributed in part to its waters being used for irrigation, and to a much greater extent to the waters diverted and used by the growing population of Colorado, which has outstripped the ability of its groundwater to sustain them.
After the North Platte and the South Platte rivers join to form the Platte River, over most of its length it is a sandy, broad, shallow, braided river. Its many shallow channels and islands and ever-changing sandbars made navigation difficult; it was never used as a major water transportation route.  The Platte flows in a large arc, east-southeast to near Fort Kearny and then east-northeast, across Nebraska south of Grand Island and on to Columbus. The Platte River is joined from the north by the about 70-mile-long (110 km) Loup River about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Columbus.  During pioneer days, a Loup River ferry crossed the river. From Columbus, the Platte flows almost due east about 50 miles (80 km) past North Bend and then on to Fremont.
Near Fremont, the Platte bends south and then east around the location of Omaha in a large "L" turn. Near Fremont the Platte turns sharply and flows south-southeast about 10 miles (16 km) to about Waterloo, Nebraska—located about 20 miles (32 km) west of Omaha. Near Waterloo the Platte turns even more and heads almost due south for about 10 miles (16 km).  About 30 miles (48 km) east-southeast of Waterloo and about 30 miles (48 km) from the Platte's confluence with the Missouri River, the Platte is joined from the north by the Elkhorn River.  The Elkhorn, a 290-mile-long (470 km) river, originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River. The Elkhorn joins the Platte on its south-bound path just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mile (2 km) south and 3 miles (5 km) west of Gretna. The pioneers leaving from near Omaha (established 1854) or Council Bluffs, Iowa (established 1846) used the Mormon Trail north of the Platte River and had to ferry across the Elkhorn.  After the Union Pacific railroad was constructed west from Omaha in 1866, it had to build a major bridge across the Elkhorn. After the confluence of the Elkhorn and the Platte River, the Platte continues southward, about 7 miles (11 km) before it turns sharply and heads almost due East for about 20 miles (32 km) before its confluence with the Missouri River. Sarpy County is shaped like a crescent, being bounded on the east by the Missouri River, on the south and west by the Platte, and on the north by Douglas County which contains Omaha. The Platte-Missouri River confluence is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Omaha.
Including the North Platte River, the Platte River stretches over 850 miles (1,400 km), with a drainage basin of about 90,000 square miles (230,000 km²). The mean annual flow is estimated at 3,240 cu ft/s (92 m³/s). The Platte drains one of the most arid areas of the Great Plains with a flow that is considerably lower than rivers of comparable length in North America. For much of its length, it is a classic wide, muddy and shallow braided stream which in the lower reaches flows in a floodplain bordered by bluffs. During pioneer days, the common humorous description was that the Platte was "a mile wide at the mouth, but only six inches deep." 49ers said it was "too thick to drink, too thin to plow". In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America. The central Platte River valley is an important stopover for migratory water birds, such as the whooping crane and sandhill crane, in their yearly traversal of the Central Flyway. Fossil evidence in the Platte River valley indicates this crane stopover has been active for over 10 million years.
Since the mid-20th century, this river has shrunk significantly. This reduction in size is attributed in part to its waters being used for irrigation, and to a much greater extent to the waters diverted and used by the growing population of Colorado, which has outstripped the ability of its groundwater to sustain them.
Platte River