The Saline River starts in the High Plains of northwestern Kansas. The south tributary of the river rises near the Sherman County-Thomas County line. The north tributary rises in central Thomas County. The confluence of the two rivers are in Sheridan County roughly northwest of Grinnell, Kansas. From this confluence, the Saline River goes east for through the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas. It joins the Smoky Hill River about 1 mile south of New Cambria, Kansas in Saline County. The Saline is slow and can't be used for transportation. It has no major tributaries. It has a riverbed of sand and mud.