The course of the river flows entirely in the Jacques-Cartier National Park which is affiliated with the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq).

The Sautauriski River takes its source from Nouvel Lake (length: 1.0 kilometre (0.62 mi); altitude: 768 metres (2,520 ft)), located in the unorganized territory of Lac-Jacques-Cartier, in the MRC La Côte-de-Beaupré Regional County Municipality.

To the commissioner John Adams in charge of exploring the territory and to whom he serves as a guide, Nicolas Vincent specifies: "This river as well as the mountains are called in Huron Soulariski (the bark is long)".

In this place, still according to the author, "the lichens hung on the branches, the" hair of the virgin "of the coureurs de bois, had absorbed and held in suspension an infinity of drops of water from the previous rains and let them fall following days.

This clarification makes it possible to believe that the toponym could be of Innu origin and come from the word tshinuashkui, from tshinua, "this thing is long" and ushkui, "upper bark which is used for canoes".