This name was recorded by Dominion Land Surveyor William Ogilvie in 1891. Ogilvie translated the name to mean beautiful or wonderful. However, according to a later surveyor, J.R. Akins, in 1915, as well as local residents in the 1980s, the name means Big Wood River or Big Timber River, due to the large spruce trees along the river bank — Chin (big) ga (along). The Slavey at Assumption call the river Ehchincha Zabeh, which translates as Big Timber River.

Flows north into Hay River approximately 75 km north-east of Rainbow lake.