The Eau Claire River rises as two streams, the
North Fork Eau Claire River and the
South Fork Eau Claire River, both of which rise in southwestern
Taylor County and flow generally southwestwardly through northeastern
Clark and northwestern
Eau Claire Counties. The North Fork is about 25 mi (40 km) long and flows past the village of
Lublin; it collects the
Wolf River in Eau Claire County. The South Fork is about 35 mi (56 km) long. From the convergence of its headwaters' forks, the Eau Claire River flows generally westwardly through northern Eau Claire County for about 40 mi (64 km), past the city of
Altoona to its confluence with the Chippewa River in downtown
Eau Claire. Two
dams along its course in Eau Claire County cause the river to form two
reservoirs:
Lake Eau Claire and
Lake Altoona. Upstream from Altoona, just north of the village of
Fall Creek, the river passes over a
waterfall known as Big Falls, which is the site of a
county park. ==Cultural information==