There’s One Way Kentucky and Alaska End Up in the Same Conversation

I have a goal of visiting each of the 50 states before I shuffle off this mortal coil, so Alaska is on the bucket list. I have friends who have been there, and I've enjoyed every one of their photos they've posted on social media platforms. And when I've seen them, I always see a lot of water. That brings me to our topic.

How Kentucky Measures Up to Alaska

First, I'll remind you that at 665,400 square miles, Alaska is, far and away, the largest state in the United States. It's nearly three times as large as No. 2 Texas. Meanwhile, you'll have to scan all the way down the list until you get to No. 37 Kentucky. The Bluegrass State's total area is 40,408 square miles. That's a huge gap, but it shrinks when comparing running water because, outside of Alaska, the Commonwealth features more miles of running water than other state. That's 1,100 commercially navigable waters, to be exact.

According to the National Wild an Scenic Rivers System, Alaska boasts 365,000 miles of river with only 3,193 miles considered "wild and scenic."

Kentucky's Longest River

One river, in particular, helps maintain this statistic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aWIh_bW5w

The next time you cross the Green River, impress your traveling companions with the new-found knowledge that it runs 384 miles from end to end. Then you can tell them how this particular waterway, when combined with the Ohio River, Cumberland River, Tennessee River, and Kentucky River, among others, puts the Commonwealth right up there next to Alaska. Sure, it's a distant second, but 48 other states are eating our dust.

Well...mud.