The lower part of the Pins river valley is mainly served by the Duchesnay road and the Kilkenny street (west bank).

Located to the northwest of the city of Quebec, Saint-Joseph Lake is a very popular site for recreational tourism activities including the resort.

The river then crosses the "Plain of Sangro" located in a wide valley surrounded by mountains including a summit of 419 m. to the northwest and another 358 m above sea level to the east.

After this bridge, the river flows a last segment of 1.3 km southwest to its mouth on the east shore of Saint-Joseph Lake in the municipality of Fossambault-sur-le-Lac.

The toponym "Rivière aux Pins" was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec[4] Download coordinates as: