The river's drainage basin is 980 square miles (2,500 km2) in area.

[4] The river was named for a Roman Catholic priest, Father Roothaan.

It exits the south end of Priest Lake and flows south to the Pend Oreille River near the city of Priest River.

This river has about twenty tributaries itself, and flows into the Priest about 1 mile from Big Creek.

The Lower West Branch is more popular, this has Torelle Falls on it.