The Tennessee River's Course: Flowing Through Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, and Mississippi

The Tennessee River traverses four states in a broad loop:

• Tennessee: Forms in Knoxville (confluence of Holston and French Broad), flows southwest to Chattanooga, then west across the state.
• Alabama: Enters near Bridgeport, flows west through Huntsville, Decatur, Florence (Wilson Dam).
• Kentucky: Forms Kentucky Lake (impounded), flows north to Paducah.
• Mississippi (state): Brief segment forms the Tennessee–Mississippi border near Pickwick Lake.

It joins the Ohio River at Paducah, KY.