The Branch River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 state of Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. It flows approximately 16 km (10 mi). There are six dams along the river's length. The river provided energy for many of the regions textile mills in the nineteenth century.

Course

The river is formed in Burrillville

Burrillville, Rhode Island

Burrillville is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. It was incorporated as an independent municipality on November 17, 1806 when the Rhode Island General Assembly authorized the residents of then North Glocester to elect its own officers. The population was 15,955 at the 2010...

 by the confluence of the Clear

Clear River (Rhode Island)

The Clear River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately . There are five dams along the river's length.-Course:The river rises from a swamp southwest of Wallum Lake in Burrillville. From there, the river flows roughly east past the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville...

 and Chepachet

Chepachet River

The Chepachet River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows . There are eight dams along the river's length.-Course:The river rises from Cherry Valley Pond in Glocester...

 rivers. From there, it flows north to North Smithfield

North Smithfield, Rhode Island

North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterford, Branch Village, Union Village, Park Square, and...

, past Slatersville

Slatersville, Rhode Island

Slatersville is a village on the Branch River in the town of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the Slatersville Historic District, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places....

 and Forestdale

Forestdale, Rhode Island

Forestdale is a village and historic district in North Smithfield, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, one-half mile from Slatersville, Rhode Island. The historic district runs east and west along Main Street and north on Maple Avenue. School Street is the primary road through the...

 to the Blackstone River

Blackstone River

The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi...

.

Crossings

Below is a list of all crossings over the Branch River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.

• Burrillville
  • Victory Highway
  • Broncos Highway (RI 102
    Route 102 (Rhode Island)
    Route 102 is a numbered State Highway running 44.5 miles in Rhode Island. Route 102 serves as a non-freeway beltway around the Providence metro area. It begins in the village of Wickford and travels through less developed areas of western Rhode Island...
    
    ) (Twice)
  • Douglas Pike (RI 7
    Route 7 (Rhode Island)
    -Route description:Route 7 begins in Providence at an intersection with Route 246, carrying Orms Street in a western direction. As it passes over I-95, the route meets Douglas Avenue and turns onto it, flanking a residential area. It then enters North Providence and continues for another ,...
    
    )
• North Smithfield
  • Main Street
  • Railroad Street
  • Rhode Island State Route 146
    Route 146 (Rhode Island)
    Route 146, also known as the Louisquisset Pike, the Eddie Dowling Highway and the North Smithfield Expressway, is a long numbered state highway located in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States...
    
    
  • Great Road (RI 146A
    Route 146A (Rhode Island)
    -Route:Route 146A takes the following route through the State:*North Smithfield: ; Route 146 to Massachusetts State line at Route 146A**Eddie Dowling Highway, Smithfield Road, Great Road, Victory Highway, North Main Street and Quaker Highway-History:...
    
    )

Tributaries

Trout and Dawley Brooks are the Branch River's only named tributaries, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.