Salt Fork Arkansas River | |
Grand Saline River, Kicpahaatihariʾ, Little Arkansas River, Nesuketonga River, Red Fork Arkansas River | |
The Salt Fork at Tonkawa, Oklahoma
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Country | United States |
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State | Kansas, Oklahoma |
Tributaries | |
- left | Medicine Lodge River, Chikaskia River |
Source | |
- location | Comanche County, Kansas |
- elevation | 2,042 ft (622 m) |
- coordinates | 37°10′40″N 99°21′48″W / 37.17778°N 99.36333°W |
Mouth | Arkansas River |
- location | Kay County, Oklahoma |
- elevation | 896 ft (273 m) |
- coordinates | 36°35′58″N 97°03′11″W / 36.59944°N 97.05306°WCoordinates: 36°35′58″N 97°03′11″W / 36.59944°N 97.05306°W |
Length | 239 mi (385 km) |
Discharge | for USGS 07151000 at Tonkawa, OK |
- average | 927 cu ft/s (26 m3/s) |
- max | 57,800 cu ft/s (1,637 m3/s) |
- min | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
Watersheds | Salt Fork Arkansas-Arkansas- Mississippi |
Reservoirs | Great Salt Plains Lake |
Map of the Salt Fork Arkansas watershed
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The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River is a 239-mile-long (385 km)tributary of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the United States. Via the Arkansas River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
The Salt Fork rises in Comanche County, Kansas, and flows initially southeastwardly through Barber County, Kansas, and Woods County, Oklahoma, to the town of Alva, where it turns eastwardly for the remainder of its course through Alfalfa, Grant, Kay and Noble counties in Oklahoma, past the towns of Pond Creek, Lamont and Tonkawa. It flows into the Arkansas River in southern Kay County, 7 miles (11 km) south of Ponca City.
In Alfalfa County, a dam on the river maintains Great Salt Plains Lake, which is lined with salt flats and is the site of Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge and a state park.
The Salt Fork's largest tributaries are the Medicine Lodge River, which joins it in Alfalfa County and the Chikaskia River, which joins it in Kay County.