The Doce River is formed by the junction of the Piranga and the Carmo[1] near the historical city of Ouro Preto, whose sources are located in the foothills of the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountain chains at altitudes of about 1,200 m. It flows in a northeastern direction via Ipatinga, makes a wide curve near Governador Valadares, and flows in a southeastern direction passing through Conselheiro Pena, to enter the Atlantic Ocean near Linhares in Espírito Santo state.

Part of the river basin is contained in the 3,562 hectares (8,800 acres) Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserve, a fully protected area.

Three of the five largest companies in Minas Gerais state in the year 2000, Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo Mineira, Arcelor Mittal (Acesita) and Usiminas, are located there.

Major cities located along the Doce or in its basin are: Timóteo, Coronel Fabriciano, Ipatinga, Governador Valadares, Colatina, and Linhares.

According to the Koppen classification, there are three climatic types in the Doce basin: On 5 November 2015, a mine dam holding back waste water from an iron ore mine in Mariana, Minas Gerais, owned by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton, collapsed, devastating a nearby town with toxic mudslides, killing at least 19 people, injuring more than 50 and causing an enormous ecological damage,[4] and threatening life along the Doce River and the Atlantic Ocean near its mouth.