The Sacandaga River drains Lake Pleasant at a location next to the public beach in the village of Speculator.

[4] Near the town boundary between Wells and Lake Pleasant, the river flows into a series of ponds.

After flowing through Wells, the river enters Lake Algonquin, a manmade impoundment constructed in the 1920s to stimulate the community's tourism industry.

Downstream of Stewart's Dam in Hadley, recreational releases are held by Brookfield Energy, creating a two-mile Class II whitewater run to the Hudson River for local paddlers.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains a few stream gauges along Sacandaga River.