It flows for 20 kilometres (12 mi) from its headwaters in the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana to its confluence with the Karangarua River.

[1] The headwaters of the Copland lie only 8 kilometres (5 mi) northwest of Aoraki / Mount Cook in a valley overlooked by the peaks of Mount Sefton and Dilemma Peak.

A popular tramping track known as the Copland Track follows the river and leads to the Welcome Flat hot springs.

[2] The river lies within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

This article about a river in the West Coast Region of New Zealand is a stub.