The Bourbeuse flows to the northeast from its source (37°58′42″N 91°43′03″W / 37.97833°N 91.71750°W / 37.97833; -91.71750 (Bourbeuse River (source)))[1] near the locale of Dillon just northeast of Rolla in Phelps County,[2] through Maries, Gasconade, Crawford, and Franklin counties, where it discharges into the Meramec River near Moselle (38°23′57″N 90°53′21″W / 38.39917°N 90.88917°W / 38.39917; -90.88917 (Bourbeuse River (mouth))).
[1] The elevation of the river at its source is approximately 1,140 feet (350 m)[2] above sea level and at its mouth about 463 feet (141 m).
[1] The total length of the river is 154 miles (248 km),[3] while the airline distance between source and mouth is 53 miles (85 km).
The watershed area is 842.9 square miles (2,183 km2).
The USGS stream gauge in Union, near the mouth of the river, measures an average flow of 692 cubic feet (19.6 m3) per second.