Saltlick Creek | |
Map Size: | 300 |
Pushpin Map: | USA West Virginia |
Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Saltlick Creek in Burnsville, West Virginia |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | United States |
Subdivision Type2: | State |
Subdivision Name2: | West Virginia |
Subdivision Type3: | County |
Subdivision Name3: | Braxton |
Length: | 17.7miles |
Source1 Location: | south of Flatwoods |
Source1 Coordinates: | 38.6957°N -80.6543°W[1] |
Source1 Elevation: | 1303feet[2] |
Mouth: | Little Kanawha River |
Mouth Location: | Burnsville |
Mouth Coordinates: | 38.8568°N -80.6562°W |
Mouth Elevation: | 741feet |
Basin Size: | 49sqmi |
Saltlick Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 17.7miles long,[3] located 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 49sqmi[4] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.
Saltlick Creek flows for its entire length in Braxton County. It rises approximately 2miles south of Flatwoods and flows generally northward, through the communities of Corley, Rollyson, and Gem to its mouth at the Little Kanawha River in Burnsville. Downstream of Rollyson, the creek is paralleled by West Virginia Route 5.[5]
According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 80% of the Saltlick Creek watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 18% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]
According to the Geographic Names Information System, Saltlick Creek has historically been known by the variant names "Salt Lick," "Salt Lick Creek," "Salt Lick Fork," and "Saltlick Fork."[1] The creek was named for a nearby mineral lick.[6]