The Mitchell 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 Quesnel River

Quesnel River

The Quesnel River is a major tributary of the Fraser River in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. It begins at the outflow of Quesnel Lake, at the town of Likely and flows for about northwest to its confluence with the Fraser at the city of Quesnel.- History :Just downstream from...

, approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) long, near the eastern boundary of British Columbia, Canada. It originates in glaciers in the northern Columbia Mountains

Columbia Mountains

The Columbia Mountains are a group of mountain ranges located in southeastern British Columbia, and partially in Montana, Idaho and Washington. The mountain range covers 135,952 km² . The range is bounded by the Rocky Mountain Trench on the east, and the Kootenay River on the south; their...

 and flows generally southwest through Mitchell Lake

Mitchell Lake

Mitchell Lake is a small lake in the southern part of San Antonio that encompasses approximately within its city limits, in southern Bexar County. It was used as a waste management center for the city but has since fallen under SAWS control. A redevelopment effort has started on the lake with the...

 into Quesnel Lake

Quesnel Lake

Quesnel Lake is a glacial lake or fjord in British Columbia, Canada, and is the origin of the Quesnel River. With a maximum depth of 610 meters , it is the deepest lake in British Columbia, though not the deepest lake in Canada, as is often claimed. That distinction belongs to Great Slave Lake...

, and its water eventually travels down the Fraser River

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

 to the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. Almost half of its course is flooded in natural lakes. Mitchell Lake, about 7 miles (11.3 km) long, is near the middle of the Mitchell River's course, and the river's lower 10 miles (16.1 km) are flooded by Quesnel Lake, although both bodies of water are natural.