It has a length of 72,2 km, covers a basin of 1,077 km2 (416 sq mi) and has an average flow of 26 m3/s.

The river finds its source at Lac de la Tour in Grands-Jardins National Park.

From there, it flows south and ends at Beaupré, opposite Île d'Orléans, 35 km northeast of Quebec City in the St. Lawrence River.

The Hydro-Canyon Saint-Joachim run-of-river power plant project was designed taking into account the technical and environmental aspects of the integration environment.

The works will optimize the site on the hydroelectric level while developing the potential of the Sainte-Anne waterfall.