The Pinega (Пинега) is a river in Verkhnetoyemsky, Pinezhsky, and Kholmogorsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia.

The Pinega flows in the hilly landscape, on the western border of the Timan Ridge, in the coniferous forest (taiga).

From this point downstream, the valley of the Pinega is populated, and the villages are grouped by several into mini-agglomerations.

The Pinega accepts the Ilesha from the south and turns north again, emerging as a broad river with high banks.

The Pinega was used by Novgorod merchants as the source of fur and also as the trading route to the basin of the Pechora River.

Two options included going upstream the Pinega and taking the boats by land to the Kuloy and to the Mezen, or using the Pukshenga and the Pokshenga to get to the Pinega, and then from the Yozhuga taking boats by land to the Zyryanskaya Yezhuga and the Vashka.