It drains 96,000 acres[1] and courses for 10.4 miles (16.7 km)[2] to Salmon Cove near Moodus where it flows into the Connecticut River.

[3] There is a popular paddling route along the Salmon River varying in difficulty from quickwater to Class II whitewater.

The Salmon River's substantial drop in elevation over its course provided considerable water power to the textile mills in Moodus during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Beginning in the early 20th century, significant efforts have been invested on the federal, state and local levels towards conserving both the Salmon River corridor itself and the broader territory encompassed by its watershed.

The Salmon River Division of the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 425 acres of freshwater tidal marshes, riparian meadows, cold-water tributary streams, floodplain forests, mixed hardwood forest, hemlock stands and vernal pools along the lower stretches of the river near its confluence with the Connecticut.