It is formed from the confluence of its north and south prongs, which join near the tiny community of Trousdale.

From this point it is less than 5 linear miles (8 km) to the mouth of the Barren Fork into the Collins River, but considerably longer by the meandering course taken by the stream in its lower reaches.

Near downtown McMinnville is a dam formerly utilized by the city as an electric power source; it was supplanted by the Tennessee Valley Authority system, as the small amount (by modern standards) of electricity it was capable of producing makes it impracticable to man and maintain by modern standards.

The area is somewhat swampy, however; it is too moist for many types of hardwood trees that cannot survive long periods of "wet feet".

[4] The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) maintains three boat access sites in McMinnville.