| Kawkawlin River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Bay County, Michigan |
| Mouth | |
• location | Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron |
The Kawkawlin River is a 17.5-mile-long (28.2 km) stream in the U.S. state of Michigan that flows into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron at 43°39′30″N 83°53′00″W / 43.65833°N 83.88333°W, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the mouth of the Saginaw River.
The name Kawkawlin comes from the Ojibwe word ogaakaaning, which means "place of pike (fish)"; the Kawkawlin River was historically known for its abundance of pike.
The Kawkawlin has two main branches, the North Branch, which is the longer branch, and the South Branch, which is also known as simply the Kawkawlin River. The confluence of the north and south branches northwest of Bay City at 43°38′43″N 83°57′11″W / 43.64528°N 83.95306°W, 4.7 miles from the mouth of the river. The North Branch rises from the confluence of Hoffman Drain and Watson Drain at 43°49′48″N 84°10′21″W / 43.83000°N 84.17250°W, at the southeast corner of Gladwin County. Upstream from the confluence with the North Branch, the Kawkawlin (or the South Branch), rises from the confluence of Dietline and Betzoid drains at 43°39′32″N 84°04′01″W / 43.65889°N 84.06694°W.
The Kawkawlin River system drains all or portions of the following townships: