The Salado River (Spanish: Río Salado,Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o saˈlaðo] "Salty River") is a river that crosses several provinces of Argentina, flowing 1,150 kilometres (710 mi) from its source in the Salta Province to end in the Paraná River, in the Santa Fe Province. Because its origin, its flow varies widely within the year, and it can dry out in some parts of its path during the winter. The only important tributary to the river is the Horcones River, which is born in Salta as Cajón River, and joins the Salado in the Santiago del Estero Province.
The Salado originates on the eastern edge of the Altiplano under the name of Juramento River at the Andes range, from thaw and captured precipitations of the 6,500-metre (21,300 ft) high Acay and Cachi mountains in the Salta Province, near Catamarca Province. The Cabra Corral Dam regulates its flow, and deviates some of it for irrigation.
When the river enters the Gran Chaco plains it forms several arms in a broad riverbed only partially occupied.
The river then enters the Santiago del Estero Province from the north, near the border with the Tucumán Province, receiving the name of Salado. The Salado and the Dulce River ("Sweet River") south to it, run diagonally in direction south-east, and are the most important rivers to cross the arid lands of Santiago del Estero, being the economic and demographic axis of the province.