The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region

Northern Region, Manitoba

The Northern Region is a region in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is situated on the Canadian Shield and includes Manitoba's Hudson Bay coastline. The major economic activities are mining and tourism. The region is composed of four census divisions: 19 and 21–23...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 that flows from Molson Lake

Molson Lake (Manitoba)

Molson Lake is a lake in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada and the source of the Hayes River. It is located about northeast of the community of Norway House.The lake is long and wide, has an area of , and lies at an elevation of...

 to Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

 at York Factory

York Factory, Manitoba

York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...

. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River

Canadian Heritage Rivers System

The Canadian Heritage Rivers System was established in 1984 by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river heritage, to give them national recognition, and to encourage the public to enjoy and appreciate them. It is a cooperative...

 and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.
The river begins at an elevation of 221 metres (725 ft) at Molson Lake which is about 55 miles northeast of the northern tip of Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg is a large, lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, with its southern tip about north of the city of Winnipeg...

. It leaves Molson Lake and flows north and northeast to Robinson Like about 10 miles northeast.