It flows northeast and east, collecting many headwater streams, before turning south and entering Moyie Lake.

The river exits Moyie Lake to the south, flowing south and west by the village of Yahk, British Columbia, and Yahk Provincial Park before entering Idaho at Kingsgate, British Columbia, and Eastport, Idaho.

Another odd name occurring along the river is the town of Good Grief, Idaho.

The river is paralleled by the Crowsnest Highway in British Columbia, and, briefly, U.S. Route 95 in Idaho.

[4] According to British Columbia's Geographical Names Information System, the word "Moyie" is a corruption of the French "mouiller" or "mouillé", a name given by fur trappers referring to the wet conditions, also described by David Thompson in 1808.

According to the USGS, variant names for the Moyie River include: Methow, Mojie, Mooyie, and Moyea.

[1] The Moyie River has multiple recreation opportunities including camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, gold panning, canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting.