| North Fork Solomon River | |
| Map: | Smokyhillrivermap.png |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kansas |
| Length: | 287miles |
| Discharge1 Location: | USGS 06872500 at Portis, KS[1] |
| Discharge1 Min: | 0cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 121cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 32300cuft/s |
| Source1 Location: | Thomas County, Kansas |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 39.2811°N -101.2819°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 3362feet |
| Mouth: | Waconda Lake |
| Mouth Location: | Cawker City, Kansas |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 39.4731°N -98.4333°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 1453feet |
| Custom Label: | Watersheds |
| Custom Data: | North Fork Solomon-Solomon-Smoky Hill-Kansas-Missouri-Mississippi |
The North Fork Solomon River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. Its entire 287miles length lies within the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a tributary of the Solomon River.[2]
The North Fork Solomon River originates in the High Plains of northwest Kansas. Its source lies in west-central Thomas County roughly 8miles southeast of Brewster, Kansas. From there, it flows generally east-northeast into the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas. Southeast of Phillipsburg, Kansas, the river joins its tributary Bow Creek to feed Kirwin Reservoir. From the reservoir's dam, the river flows east, then turns southeast near Gaylord, Kansas. Immediately south of Cawker City in northwestern Mitchell County, the North Fork joins the South Fork Solomon River to feed Waconda Lake.[2]
In 1955, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation completed a dam on the river immediately south of Kirwin, Kansas for flood control, creating Kirwin Reservoir.[3]