The Sand Hill River is a 101 miles (162.5 km) 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 Red River of the North

Red River of the North

The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...

 in northwestern Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 in the United States

United States

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

. Via the Red River, 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...

, and the Nelson River

Nelson River

The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its full length is , it has mean discharge of , and has a drainage basin of , of which is in the United States...

, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of 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,...

, and drains an area of 475 square miles (1,230.2 km²).

Course

The Sand Hill River flows generally west from its source, Sand Hill Lake, near the town of Fosston

Fosston, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,575 people, 681 households, and 379 families residing in the city. The population density was 969.1 people per square mile . There were 739 housing units at an average density of 454.7 per square mile...

 in Polk County

Polk County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 14,008 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...

, dipping south through Mahnomen County

Mahnomen County, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,190 people, 1,969 households, and 1,366 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile . There were 2,700 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...

 and Norman County before returning to Polk County and passing the towns of Rindal, Fertile

Fertile, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 893 people, 396 households, and 220 families residing in the city. The population density was 471.9 people per square mile . There were 433 housing units at an average density of 228.8 per square mile...

, and Climax

Climax, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 243 people, 113 households, and 68 families residing in the city. The population density was 212.2 people per square mile . There were 124 housing units at an average density of 108.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 93.00% White, 1.65%...

. It flows into the Red River of the North

Red River of the North

The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...

2 miles (3 km) west of Climax.