The Chiwawa River is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Wenatchee River

Wenatchee River

The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It is completely contained within Chelan County.

Much of the Chiwawa River's drainage basin is designated national forest

United States National Forest

National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...

 and wilderness

National Wilderness Preservation System

The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...

. The upper Chiwawa watershed is in nearly pristine condition.

The river is part of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 basin, being a tributary of the Wenatchee River, which is tributary to the Columbia River.

The river's name comes from a Columbia-Moses term meaning of kind of creek ("wawa" creek). A large number of place names in the Chiwawa River basin were given by Albert H. Sylvester

Albert Hale Sylvester

Albert Hale Slyvester was a pioneer surveyor, explorer, and forest supervisor in the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Washington. He was a topographer for the United States Geological Survey in the Snoqualmie Ranger District between 1897 and 1907...

.

Course

The Chiwawa River originates in the Glacier Peak Wilderness

Glacier Peak Wilderness

The Glacier Peak Wilderness, created by the US Forest Service in 1960 by efforts of the , four years before the 1964 wilderness legislation of the Congress, is located within portions of Chelan County, Snohomish County, and Skagit Counties in the North Cascades of Washington...

 of the North Cascades

North Cascades

The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in Canada as the Cascade Mountains...

, on the southern slopes of Chiwawa Mountain and Fortress Mountain. It flows south through the Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest...

, between Chiwawa Ridge to the west and the Entiat Mountains to the east.

The Chiwawa River empties into the Wenatchee River several miles east of Lake Wenatchee

Lake Wenatchee State Park

Lake Wenatchee State Park covers with of waterfront on Lake Wenatchee and the Wenatchee River. Lake Wenatchee is a glacier and snowmelt fed lake situated in the Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountain Range in the U. S. State of Washington. It is split into two...

.