The surface of the Sawine River is usually frozen from the beginning of December to the end of March, however the safe circulation on the ice is generally made from mid-December to mid-March.

The main watersheds adjacent to the Sawine River are: The Sawine River rises at the confluence of Lac du Virage (length: 0.4 kilometres (0.25 mi); altitude: 511 metres (1,677 ft)) in a forest area in the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve.

This source is located at: From its source, the Sawine River flows over 20.4 kilometres (12.7 mi) with a drop of 172 metres (564 ft) entirely in the forest zone, according to the following segments: The Sawine river flows on the southeast bank of the Rivière aux Écorces.

This acronym evokes the memory of an Abenaki family, more particularly that of Ambroise O'Bomsawin and her son Amable.

The toponym “Sawine River” was formalized on December 5, 1968, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.