The Indian River is a 12.8 mile long (20.7 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 located in western New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 in the United States

United States

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

. The river is a 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 Mascoma River

Mascoma River

The Mascoma River is a 31.6 mile long river located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. The Mascoma comprises two sections which are split by Mascoma Lake in the communities of Enfield and Lebanon...

, which in turn flows to the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 and ultimately Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

.

The Indian River rises in the southern corner of the town of Dorchester

Dorchester, New Hampshire

Dorchester is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 355 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761, Dorchester was named for Dorchester in Dorset, England. When the recipients failed to take up the grant, it was...

 and flows south in a broad valley to the west of Mount Cardigan

Mount Cardigan

Mount Cardigan is a prominent bare-rock summit in the towns of Orange and Alexandria in western New Hampshire. While its peak is only above sea level, it has extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub, giving it the feel to hikers of a much higher mountain...

. At the town center of Canaan

Canaan, New Hampshire

Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest...

, the river turns west and shortly ends at the Mascoma River.

For its south-flowing portion, the Indian River is followed by New Hampshire Route 118

New Hampshire Route 118

New Hampshire Route 118 is a long secondary north–south highway in Grafton County, New Hampshire. NH 118 stretches from Woodstock, in the White Mountains Region, south to Canaan in the Upper Valley region....

. From Canaan to the Mascoma River, U.S. Route 4

U.S. Route 4

U.S. Route 4 is a long United States highway that runs from East Greenbush, New York, in the west to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the east, traversing through Vermont.In New York, US 4 is signed north–south to reflect its alignment in the state...

is close by.