| Loup River | |
|---|---|
 Loup River at Nebraska Highway 39 crossing south of Genoa; looking downstream (east). | |
 The Loup River in Nebraska, showing the North and South Loup rivers | |
  Location of the mouth of the Loup River in Nebraska | |
| Etymology | French for "wolf", for the Skidi "Wolf People" band of the Pawnee people |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Howard County, Nebraska |
| • coordinates | 41°16′14″N 98°24′4″W / 41.27056°N 98.40111°W[1] |
| Mouth | Platte River |
• location | Platte County, Nebraska |
• coordinates | 41°23′58″N 97°19′17″W / 41.39944°N 97.32139°W[1] |
• elevation | 1,424 ft (434 m)[1] |
| Length | 68 mi (109 km) |
| Basin size | 15,000 sq mi (39,000 km2) |
The Loup River (pronounced /lup/) is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 68 miles (109 km) 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.