The Brazos River (/ˈbræzəs/ ⓘ BRAZ-əs, Spanish: [ˈbɾazos]), called the Río de los Brazos de Dios (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at 1,280 miles (2,060 km) from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Roosevelt County, New Mexico[2] to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a 45,000-square-mile (116,000 km2) drainage basin.

The Brazos proper begins at the confluence of the Salt Fork and Double Mountain Fork, two tributaries of the Upper Brazos that rise on the high plains of the Llano Estacado, flowing 840 miles (1,350 km) southeast through the center of Texas.

The Whitney Dam, located on the upper Brazos, provides hydroelectric power, flood control, and irrigation to enable efficient cotton growth in the river valley.

When it was first named by European explorers is unclear, since it was often confused with the Colorado River not far to the south, but it was certainly seen by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

Later Spanish accounts call it Los Brazos de Dios (the arms of God), for which name several different explanations were given, all involving it being the first water to be found by desperately thirsty parties.

In 1842, Indian commissioner of Texas, Ethan Stroud established a trading post on this river.

[11] Within the watershed lie 42 lakes and rivers, which have a combined storage capacity of 2.5 million acre-feet.

[13] Around 31% of the land use within the watershed is cropland, and roughly 61% is grassland (30%), shrubland (19.8%), and forest (11%), while urban use only makes up 4.6%.

[15] Canoeing is a very popular recreational activity on the Brazos River, with many locations favorable for launching and recovery.

[16] Sandbar camping is also permitted, since the entire streambed of the river is considered to be state-owned public property.