The river is approximately 55 miles (89 km) long and drains an area of 2,518 sq mi (6,520 km2) in parts of twelve Missouri counties.

[4] It rises at the confluence of the North, Middle, and South Forks in Monroe County.

[5] Since Clarence Cannon Dam construction was completed in 1983, the first 15 miles of the Salt River after the confluence of the North, Middle, and South Fork have been contained in Mark Twain Lake.

Below the dam, the river winds generally east for 63 miles through a rural valley surrounded by low bluffs.

American author Mark Twain was born in the town of Florida on the Salt River in 1835.