Yellowstone River Origins: Not in North Dakota

Correcting the Source Location

The Yellowstone River does not originate in any city in North Dakota.

True Course

1. Source: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – specifically the confluence of the North Fork and South Fork on the Absaroka Range slopes, near Yellowstone Lake.
2. Flows North: Through Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone Falls, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
3. Montana: Livingston, Billings, Miles City.
4. North Dakota: Enters NW corner, flows east to join the Missouri River near Buford (west of Williston).

It is the longest undammed river in the contiguous U.S. (~1,080 km / 671 mi).