A navigable river is a river which can be navigated by boat. Often, it refers to a river which has a certain status, requiring bridges over it to be a certain height or have movable sections, and may be regularly dredged to maintain a certain depth.

For recreational river users, the term navigable implies passage is possible in a small non-powered craft, without requiring any man-made alterations or maintenance.

See also

• Navigability

Nautical terms