Collins River
| Collins River | |
| River | |
 The Collins River near Rock Island
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Tennessee |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Barren Fork |
| Source | Northeast of Palmer in Grundy County |
| - elevation | 1,740 ft (530 m) |
| - coordinates | 35°23′11″N 85°33′18″W / 35.38639°N 85.55500°W |
| Mouth | Great Falls Lake (Caney Fork) at Rock Island |
| - elevation | 804 ft (245 m) |
| - coordinates | 35°48′0″N 85°37′12″W / 35.80000°N 85.62000°WCoordinates: 35°48′0″N 85°37′12″W / 35.80000°N 85.62000°W |
| Length | 67 mi (108 km) |
| Basin | 811 sq mi (2,100 km2) |
| Discharge | for U.S. Highway 70S near McMinnville |
| - average | 1,193 cu ft/s (34 m3/s) (mean for water years 1925–2005) |
| - max | 75,300 cu ft/s (2,132 m3/s) March 1929 |
| - min | 25 cu ft/s (0.7 m3/s) September 1930 |
The Collins River is a 67-mile-long (108 km) stream in the east-central portion of Middle Tennessee in the United States. It is a tributary of the Caney Fork, and is part of the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi watersheds. The river drains the scenic Savage Gulf area, located just below the river's source, and empties into Great Falls Lake at Rock Island State Park.
The Collins River passes through Grundy and Warren counties. McMinnville, Altamont, Gruetli-Laager and Beersheba Springs are among the communities located within its watershed. The Savage Gulf section of the Collins River has been designated a "scenic river" by the State of Tennessee.
The Collins River rises near the town of Palmer atop the Cumberland Plateau, where the Middle Prong Collins River (which descends from a nearby ridge) joins Mill Creek (which flows northward from Palmer). Flowing northwestwardly, the Collins passes under State Route 399 (Barkertown Road) before entering Savage Gulf, a scenic gorge where the river gradually descends 800 feet to the Highland Rim. The town of Beersheba Springs straddles the edge of the Plateau overlooking the river valley. State Route 56 crosses the Collins twice as it follows the river's valley out of the gorge.
Crossing into Warren County, the river veers northward along a meandering route, passing under State Route 8 (Harrison Ferry Road) and State Route 127 (Shellsford Road). Just east of McMinnville, the river absorbs its key tributary, Barren Fork, and passes under U.S. Route 70S. After winding its way northward for several miles, the river eventually turns eastward, passing under State Route 288 (Hennessee Bridge Road) as it enters the slack waters of Great Falls Lake.
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Wikipedia