The Fuerte River is a river in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. It begins at the junction of the Verde and Urique rivers, on the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. It flows generally southwest for a distance of 290 km,[1] emptying into the Gulf of California at Lechuguilla Island, 43 km west of the city of Los Mochis. The river is surrounded by large mango plantations which produce the fruits mainly for export to the United States.
The river is dammed (Miguel Hidalgo Dam) near the town of El Fuerte creating the state's largest reservoir,[2] and the water is used extensively for irrigation of agriculture in northern Sinaloa, and southern Sonora.