Rising on the slopes of Mount Boscawen (1,780 metres (5,840 ft)) on the main divide about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Lewis Pass, the river runs west-southwest along a straight, narrow valley before turning northwest to reach the Upper Grey.

[3] A two-day tramping track known as the Robinson River track runs up the Robinson River before crossing a saddle via a poled route to join with the Lake Christabel track.

There are two tramping huts maintained by the Department of Conservation beside the river.

[4] The river is named for John Perry Robinson (1809–1865), a superintendent of Nelson Province.

This article about a river in the West Coast Region of New Zealand is a stub.