The Attawapiskat River travels a distance of from the head of Bow Lake, and has a
drainage area of . and consists of two short streams that lead into Windsor Lake. The elevation of the river drops significantly along these two outflow channels, descending from the higher ground of the
Canadian Shield to the flatter and more boggy
Hudson Bay Lowlands. After a series of rapids, the North Channel rejoins the Attawapiskat River (the southern channel) at at an elevation of . The river continues east, and makes a bend to the north at Pym Island at at an elevation of . The
Streatfeild River joins from the right at an elevation of , and the outlet river from
McFaulds Lake, centre of the
Northern Ontario Ring of Fire geological area, joins from the left further downstream at at an elevation of . Further downstream, the river then heads east once again. The
Muketei River joins the Attawapiskat from the left at at an elevation of , and the
Missisa River joins from the right further downstream at at an elevation of the
Lawashi Channel begins and takes part of the Attawapiskat's flow into the
Lawashi River at a point upstream of that river's mouth at James Bay. The mouth of the Lawashi River is approximately southeast of the mouth of the Attawapiskat. After the Lawashi Channel branching, the main river continues east, past the community of
Attawapiskat upstream from the mouth, and exits into the James Bay at the Akimiski Strait, across from
Akimiski Island.
Tributaries • Missisa River (right) • Muketei River (left) • Streatfeild River (right) • North Channel (left) • Attawapiskat Lake (source) • Otoskwin River • Marten-Drinking River • Pineimuta River ==Geology==