| Loup River | |
| Name Etymology: | French for "wolf", for the Skidi "Wolf People" band of the Pawnee people |
| Map: | Loup River basin map.png |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Nebraska |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Loup River in Nebraska |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Nebraska |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Length: | 68miles |
| Source1 Location: | Howard County, Nebraska |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 41.2706°N -98.4011°W |
| Mouth: | Platte River |
| Mouth Location: | Platte County, Nebraska |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 41.3994°N -97.3214°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 1424feet |
| Basin Size: | 15000sqmi |
The Loup River (pronounced /lup/) is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 68miles long, in central Nebraska in the United States. The river drains a sparsely populated rural agricultural area on the eastern edge of the Great Plains southeast of the Sandhills. The name of the river means "wolf" in French, named by early French trappers after the Skidi band of the Pawnee, whose name means "Wolf People," and who lived along its banks. The river and its tributaries, including the North Loup, Middle Loup, and South Loup, are known colloquially as "the Loups", comprising over 1800 mi (2900 km) of streams and draining approximately one-fifth of Nebraska.
The river is formed in eastern Howard County, approximately 5miles northeast of St. Paul and north of Grand Island, by the confluence of the North Loup and Middle Loup rivers. It flows east-northeast, past Fullerton, where it is joined from the north by the Cedar River. It continues east-northeast roughly parallel to the Platte, past Genoa, separated from the Platte by approximately 15 mi (24 km). It joins the Platte from the northwest approximately 4miles southeast of Columbus.
A diversion dam southwest of Genoa diverts water to the Loup Canal to hydroelectric facilities in Monroe and then in Columbus. The canal then runs into the Platte a short distance below its confluence with the Loup.
| River | Location | Discharge | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Loup River | 230cuft/s[1] | |||
| Middle Loup River | 1148cuft/s[2] | |||
| North Loup River | 975cuft/s[3] | |||
| Loup River | 2584cuft/s[4] | Discharge includes water removed by Loup River Power Canal[5] |