It drains an area of the prairie country near the Canada–US border in the extreme northeast corner of the state in the watershed of the Red River.
It rises in eastern Cavalier County and flows in a direct course east-northeast into Pembina County, passing the towns of Cavalier, Neche and Bathgate.
Upstream of Cavalier, the river passes through Icelandic State Park, where Renwick Dam causes it to form Lake Renwick.
Below the dam, foot trails follow the river in the Gunlogson Arboretum Nature Preserve.
This article related to a river in North Dakota is a stub.