| Leading Creek | |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA West Virginia |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Leading Creek in Gilmer County, West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | West Virginia |
| Subdivision Type3: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lewis, Gilmer |
| Length: | 28.6miles |
| Discharge1 Location: | a site 1.4 mi (2.3 km) upstream of mouth |
| Discharge1 Min: | 0.1cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 220cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 12100cuft/s |
| Source1 Location: | near Camden, Lewis County |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 39.0529°N -80.5751°W[1] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1120feet[2] |
| Mouth: | Little Kanawha River |
| Mouth Location: | Gilmer County |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 38.9468°N -80.877°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 696feet |
| Basin Size: | 147sqmi |
Leading Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 28.6miles long,[3] in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 147sqmi[4] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Leading Creek rises just west of Camden in Lewis County and flows west-southwestward into Gilmer County, through the unincorporated communities of Alum Bridge and Pickle Street in Lewis County and Linn and Troy in Gilmer County. It flows into the Little Kanawha River approximately 2.4miles west-northwest of Glenville.[5]
Between Camden and Troy, the creek's course is paralleled by the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike, along present-day U.S. routes 33 and 119 between Camden and Linn; and West Virginia Route 47 between Linn and Troy.[5] [6]
According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 84% of the Leading Creek watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 15% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]
According to the Geographic Names Information System, Leading Creek has also been known historically by the spelling "Leeding Creek."[1] According to tradition, Leading Creek was so named by explorers who used it to navigate.[7]
At a United States Geological Survey stream gauge 1.4miles upstream from the creek's mouth, the annual mean flow of the creek between 1937 and 1951 was 220 cubic feet per second (6 m³/s). The highest recorded flow during the period was 12,100 cu ft/s (343 m³/s) on June 25, 1950. The lowest recorded flow was 0.1 cu ft/s (0 m³/s) on several days in September 1939.[8]