It rises in the township of Low and Burbank's Grant and runs generally northwest along U.S. Route 2, traversing the towns of Jefferson and Lancaster, before joining the Connecticut River.

The Abenaki people called the river Siwooganock, which means "place of the burnt pine trees".

[4] The first name given to the river by English settlers was "Powers River" in honor of Captain Peter Powers (1707-1757), who in 1754 became the first to explore this area.

With its numerous tributaries, the river drains the northwestern slopes of Mount Adams and Mt.

A number of smaller bridges are provided for snowmobile trails, and there is an old covered bridge on Mechanic Street in Lancaster (closed in 2004 for major repairs and since reopened).