It rises in the town of Chester, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Manchester.

There are falls and small dams at several locations along the river.

[2][3] The Exeter River drainage basin encompasses an area of 126 square miles (330 km2).

The upper 33.3 miles (53.6 km) of the river, from its headwaters to its confluence with Great Brook in Exeter, were designated into the NH Rivers Management and Protection Program in August 1995.

This article related to a river in New Hampshire is a stub.