The Chippewa River flows approximately 183 miles (294 km) through west-central and northwestern Wisconsin. The river is formed by the confluence of the West Fork Chippewa River, which rises at Chippewa Lake in southeastern Bayfield County, and the East Fork Chippewa River, which rises in the swamps of the southern part of Iron County. The rivers' confluence is at the Chippewa Flowage, a reservoir in central Sawyer County, which is the official "beginning" of the Chippewa River itself. The river flows from Sawyer County through Rusk, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn, Pepin and Buffalo Counties, before emptying out into the Mississippi River.
Historically, the Chippewa River was important as a floatway for lumbering and papermaking.