| Big Creek | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kansas |
| Length: | 221miles |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 51cuft/s |
| Source1 Location: | Gove County, Kansas |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 39.1119°N -100.7492°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 2986feet |
| Mouth: | Smoky Hill River |
| Mouth Location: | Russell County, Kansas |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 38.7903°N -98.9194°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 1713feet |
| Basin Size: | 862sqmi |
| Custom Label: | Watersheds |
| Custom Data: | Big-Smoky Hill-Kansas-Missouri-Mississippi |
Big Creek is a 221miles stream in the central Great Plains of North America. It is a tributary of the Smoky Hill River, and the entirety of its length lies in the U.S. state of Kansas.[1]
Big Creek originates in the High Plains of northwestern Kansas. Its source lies in extreme northwestern Gove County.[1] From there, it flows generally east-southeast through the Smoky Hills to its confluence with the Smoky Hill River in southwestern Russell County.[2]
In Ellis County, Kansas, Big Creek flows through the cities of Ellis and Hays.[2] In Ellis, it is dammed to maintain a small reservoir, Big Creek Lake.[3] [4] In Hays, the creek runs through the campus of Fort Hays State University.[5]