35 Best River Riddles [Free Riddle Cards]

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure for more details.

Why is a river rich? Because it has two banks! Our river riddles will enrich your life and tease a smile and a laugh out of anyone. Share these riddles with your family, friends, and co-workers. These are the best riddles about rivers! Bet you can’t say that fast ten times!

a river between green trees on half the image with a teal background on the left with a white oval with red border with a image of a waterfall and river running down scene and yellow writing " the best river riddles"

My favorite riddles are ones I can share with my kids or friends; we can work them out together and laugh over the sometimes funny answers we guess. My kids are always on the lookout for fun riddles and jokes to solve, and we think the harder the riddle, the better they are.

Check out our Confusing Riddles or these Logic Riddles. They will make you think; when you figure them out, you will want to share them with others!

Best River riddles

Dark blue bordered image with a river riddle on it along with a cartoon image of a river

What has five eyes, but cannot see? The Mississippi River
Where do fish deposit their money? On the riverbank
What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats. What is it? A river
I sometimes start on mountains as they can serve as my source, I’m a body of water which can flow with lots of force. What am I? River
What has a bank that doesn’t store money, what has a bed but never sleeps what has a mouth but never eats? A river
How does a dog cross a river without getting wet? The river is frozen
What has rivers with no water, forests, but no trees, and cities with no buildings? A map
What has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps, can run but never walks, and has a bank but no money? A river
What always runs, but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed, but never sleeps, has a mouth, but never eats? A river
I have a bed but I do not sleep. I have a mouth but I don’t eat. You hear me whisper, but I never talk. You can see me run, yet I never walk. What am I? A river
What river flows through Madrid? Manzanares
I have a source but I’m not a journalist I have a delta but I’m not a Greek alphabet I have banks on both sides of me but I’m not surrounded by money I flow but Im not a bloodstream I’m full of water but I’m not a fish tank. What am I? A river
Danube, Rhine, Amazon, Nile, Thames, Ganges, Hudson and Rio Grande. What are all of these? Rivers
There is a river in which you can wash only in the morning. It is? A dew
A farmer has to get a sack of corn, a chicken, and a fox across a river. The farmer is only able to bring one of the above items along with him at a time. The only problem is if he leaves the fox alone with the chicken, the fox will eat the chicken, and if he leaves the chicken along the corn sack, then the chicken will eat the corn sack. How does the farmer get all 3 items across safely? The farmer brings the chicken across. Goes back and brings the fox across, and brings the chicken back with him to the other side of the river and drops off the chicken, then he goes and brings the corn sack across, and finally he goes back for the chicken and brings it across.
What happens when a leprechaun falls into a river? He gets wet
Two boys and a man need to cross a river. They can only use the canoe. It will hold only the man or the two boys’ weight. How can they all get across safely? The two boys go across. One of them get out. The other one goes back. He gets out and the man gets in. He goes across. Then the man gets out and the other boy gets in and goes across. Then the boy that was left gets in and now they both go across together.
One rabbit saw 6 elephants while going towards River. Every elephant saw 2 monkeys are going towards river. Every monkey holds one parrot in their hands. Now please tell me how many animals are going towards river? 1 Rabbit, 2 Monkeys and 2 Parrots.
A river that flows from Colorado to the Gulf. I have a Mexican name. At 1,800 miles long I am one of the principal rivers of North America. I am not the Mississippi. What am I? The Rio Grande

Why didn’t Cleopatra go to the psychiatrist? She was the Queen of Denial! (The Nile)
What do you call small rivers in Egypt? Juveniles
A farmer was going to town with a fox, a goose and a sack of corn. When he came to a stream, he had to cross in a tiny boat, and could only take across one thing at a time. However, if he left the fox alone with the goose, the fox would eat the goose, and if he left the goose alone with the corn, the goose would eat the corn. How does he get them all safely over the stream? He takes the goose across first, then comes back. Then he takes the fox across and brings the goose back. Then he takes the corn over. Finally he comes back alone and takes the goose across.
A zebra was going to the river. On the way the zebra encountered five giraffes. Each giraffe had five monkeys on their neck. How many animals were going to the river? Just one the zebra. The other 30 animals (5 giraffes and 25 monkeys) were going the other way.
What won’t run long without winding? A river
Where can you drown a hipster? In the mainstream
A detachment of soldiers must cross a river. The bridge is broken, the river is deep. What to do? Suddenly the officer in charge spots two boys playing in a row boat by the shore. The boat is so tiny however, that is could only hold two boys or one soldier.Still, all the soldiers make it across the river in the boat. How? First the boys cross the river and 1 boy comes back and gets a soldier and keeps going back until all the soldiers have made it across safely.
A man has a goat, a wolf, and a head of cabbage. He comes to a river that has no bridge, but a small boat to cross the river. The boat can hold only one of the three things he has. If he takes over the wolf first, the goat will eat the cabbage. If he take over the cabbage first, the wolf will eat the goat. How does he solve the problem? First, he takes over the goat. Then, he takes over the cabbage, but takes the goat back. Then, he takes over the wolf. Finally, he takes over the goat again.

Do you have some other great river riddles that you love? Share them in the comments so we can try and solve them!

white text saying the best river riddles in yellow background with an image of a view of a river

Printable Riddle Cards

Print your river riddles and have fun giggling with the entire family!

You can Never Have Too Many Riddles! Complete List of Mind-Blowing Riddles!

How Do I Access My Free Printables?

Fill in the form above. You will receive an email in your inbox. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder! You will then click to confirm your subscription. Once confirmed, you will be emailed your joke cards.

How Do I Print A PDF?

You’ll need a program that supports PDFs. Adobe Acrobat is a great option. Open the program, click file then print. Select your printer and the number of copies you want to print. Be sure you click double-sided if you want it to print on both sides.

Can I Resell These?

You may not resell any printable that you find on our website or in our resource library. You may use them for class parties, at church, at home, or in the classroom. You may get these printed at an office supply store or copy center at your own expense.

Michele Tripple

Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. She is a certified Life Coach with her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer; Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.