| Pinconning River | |
| Name Etymology: | River at potatoing-grounds |
| Map: | Pinconning River MI map.png |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Bay |
| Subdivision Type4: | Townships |
| Subdivision Name4: | Mount Forest, Pinconning |
| Subdivision Type5: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name5: | Pinconning |
| Length: | 10.9miles |
| Source1 Location: | Mount Forest Township |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 43.8484°N -84.1497°W[1] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 679feet[2] |
| Mouth: | Saginaw Bay |
| Mouth Location: | Pinconning Township |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 43.847°N -83.9208°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 577feet |
| Basin Size: | 26.6sqmi |
| Custom Label: | Hydrologic Unit Code |
| Custom Data: | 040801020107 (USGS) |
The Pinconning River (Ojibwe Opinikaaning-ziibi (syncope as Pinkaaning-ziibi), "River at potatoing-grounds")[3] is a small river on the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. It is 15.6miles long[4] and flows to Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron, draining an area of 26.6sqmi.[5] Via Lake Huron and the Great Lakes system, it is part of the larger watershed of the St. Lawrence River.
The Pinconning River's course and watershed are entirely in northern Bay County. It begins in Mount Forest Township, approximately 9.4miles west of the city of Pinconning, and flows generally eastward, through Pinconning Township and Pinconning. It flows into Saginaw Bay in Pinconning Township, approximately 2.2miles east of Pinconning.[6] Its largest tributary is the South Branch Pinconning River,[7] which is 6.2miles long and flows into the Pinconning River upstream of Pinconning.[6]
The Saginaw Bay Land Conservancy owns a nature preserve, the Pinconning Nature Preserve, along the river in Pinconning Township.[8] Bay County operates a county park, Pinconning Park, on the north bank of the river at its mouth.[9]
This is a list of named streams in the Pinconning River's watershed, as identified by the National Hydrography Dataset. All are direct tributaries of the Pinconning River. By default, the list is ordered from the mouth of the river to its source.
| Name | Length | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fanger Drain | 2.4miles |
| 2 | Walk Drain | 1.8miles |
| 3 | Bryce Drain | 4.1miles |
| 4 | South Branch Pinconning River | 6.2miles |
| 5 | Hudson Branch | 3.3miles |