title: Salt Fork Arkansas River
text: # Salt Fork Arkansas River
  
  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.
  
  ## Course
  
  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 impounds Great Salt Plains Lake, which is lined with salt flats and is the site of 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.
  
  ## Variant names
  
  According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Salt Fork Arkansas River has also been known as:
  
  | Grand Sabine River Grand Saline River Kai it tu Kits Kait Kiz pahuti hoddi Little Arkansas River Little River Ne Shudse Shunga Nesuketonga River | Red Fork Arkansas River Red Fork of Arkansas River Salt Fork Salt Fork Creek Salt Fork of Arkansas River Salt Fork of the Arkansas Salt Fork of the Arkansas River Salt Fork River |
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