Much of the Chiwawa River's drainage basin is designated national forest and wilderness.

The upper Chiwawa watershed is in nearly pristine condition.

[5] A large number of place names in the Chiwawa River basin were given by Albert H. Sylvester.

The Chiwawa River originates in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades, on the southern slopes of Chiwawa Mountain and Fortress Mountain.

It flows south through the Wenatchee National Forest, between Chiwawa Ridge to the west and the Entiat Mountains to the east.