The Saddle River flows south through much of Bergen County, New Jersey. The river runs through densely populated suburban areas for much of its course. The river takes its name from the river near Saddell in Argyll and Bute in Scotland.
The headwaters of the Saddle River are in the piedmont terrain of Rockland County, in southern New York state. Streams from this area flow south, forming the Saddle River at their confluence, two miles south of the New York state border, in the town of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
From its feeder streams in Upper Saddle River and the source in Airmont, New York, the Saddle River continues south for 16.3 miles, passing through the towns of Saddle River, Waldwick, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Paramus, Fair Lawn, Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook, Lodi, Garfield, and Wallington.
The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, a major tributary, joins the Saddle River at the Dunkerhook area of Saddle River County Park. Their confluence marks the border of four Bergen County towns: Ridgewood, Paramus, Glen Rock and Fair Lawn.