| Box Elder Creek [1] | |
|---|---|
 The creek as it passes under Interstate 76 | |
 South Platte tributaries, including Box Elder Creek | |
| Location | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - coordinates | 39°30′06″N104°33′40″W / 39.50167°N 104.56111°W |
| Mouth | |
- location | Confluence with the South Platte |
- coordinates | 40°22′28″N104°28′02″W / 40.37444°N 104.46722°W Coordinates: 40°22′28″N104°28′02″W / 40.37444°N 104.46722°W |
- elevation | 4,554 ft (1,388 m) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | South Platte—Platte— Missouri—Mississippi |
Box Elder Creek is a tributary that joins the South Platte River near Kersey, Colorado. It rises in Elbert County, Colorado.
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West. Its drainage basin includes much of the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado; much of the populated region known as the Colorado Front Range and Eastern Plains; and a portion of southeastern Wyoming in the vicinity of the city of Cheyenne. It joins the North Platte River in western Nebraska to form the Platte, which then flows across Nebraska to the Missouri. The river serves as the principal source of water for eastern Colorado. In its valley along the foothills in Colorado, it has permitted agriculture in an area of the Colorado Piedmont and Great Plains that is otherwise arid.
The Town of Kersey is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1454 at the 2010 United States Census.
The creek flows through Elbert, Arapahoe, Adams, and Weld counties. It passes near Denver International Airport.
Elbert County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,086. The county seat is Kiowa.
Arapahoe County is one of the 64 counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 572,003, making it the third-most populous county in Colorado. The county seat is Littleton, and the most populous city is Aurora. The county was named for the Arapaho Native American tribe who once lived in the region.
Adams County is the fifth-most populous of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 441,603. The county seat is Brighton. The county is named for Alva Adams, Governor of the State of Colorado.
