The Rivière Saint-François is the most significant waterway in Quebec's Eastern Townships, flowing through a landscape that remains largely undeveloped along its banks. Its rocky bed and shallow depth make it impassable to motorboats, which effectively reserves the river for canoes and kayaks and creates a notably quiet paddling environment even where the river passes through or near towns.

The river offers multiple route options of varying difficulty. Between Richmond and Ulverton, a 10 km route follows a calm, green valley with almost no dwellings visible from the water. This stretch takes approximately 2 to 3 hours to complete depending on pace and stops. A longer 17 km route runs from Windsor down to Richmond; this section is more technically demanding, with challenging rapids rated around R2 to R3 depending on water level, and a guide is strongly recommended for this stretch. Paddleboarding is not recommended on the river due to the shallow water depth, which can cause fins to strike rocks, and the 10 km distance is considered too long for a comfortable SUP outing.

In the Sherbrooke area, the river is part of the Corridor Bleu, with an excursion of 16.5 km running from Lennoxville to Brompton through both urban and rural landscapes. Further downstream, St-Lucien provides access points where the river runs with a generally calm flow punctuated by occasional rapids. At some water levels, portaging around certain rapids may be necessary. The Parc des plaisanciers in Weedon provides access to the river and is being developed to include a universally accessible canoe and kayak launch ramp.

Canot-Kayak Richmond, operated by the Municipality of Richmond since 2005, offers boat rentals and a shuttle service for the Richmond-area routes. A free digital map bundle covering the full length of the river, produced by Canot Kayak Québec, is available through the Avenza Maps app and marks put-ins, rapids, portages, camping sites, and other points of interest.

Wildlife along the river includes bald eagles, turkey vultures, kingfishers, otters, beavers, white-tailed deer, and various fish species. The near-total absence of riverside development is a defining characteristic of much of the river corridor.