| South Fork New River | |
| Map: | NewRiver watershed.png |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | North Carolina |
| Subdivision Type3: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name3: | Watauga, Alleghany, Ashe |
| Discharge1 Location: | Jefferson, NC[1] |
| Discharge1 Min: | 227cuft/s(1986) |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 552cuft/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 2120cuft/s(1998) |
| Source1: | Middle Fork South Fork New River |
| Source1 Location: | Blowing Rock, NC |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 36.1261°N -81.6722°W |
| Source1 Elevation: | 3543feet |
| Source2: | East Fork South Fork New River |
| Source2 Location: | Watauga County, NC |
| Source2 Coordinates: | 36.1822°N -81.6103°W |
| Source2 Elevation: | 3271feet |
| Source Confluence Location: | Boone, NC |
| Source Confluence Coordinates: | 36.2044°N -81.6497°W |
| Source Confluence Elevation: | 3104feet |
| Mouth: | New River |
| Mouth Location: | Ashe County, NC |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 36.5461°N -81.3531°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 2546feet |
The South Fork New River is a river in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
It stretches from its headwaters at a spring near Blowing Rock and the Eastern Continental Divide and meanders northward along the northwestern face of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the eastern and central portions of Watauga County and then Ashe County in northwestern North Carolina, passing through the town of Boone. It joins the North Fork New River in Ashe County to form the New River. Its waters ultimately reach the Gulf of Mexico through the Kanawha River, the Ohio River, and the Mississippi River. Its tributaries include Winkler's Creek, Boone (Kraut) Creek and Payne Branch.
The Middle Fork runs between the towns of Blowing Rock and Boone and is fed by tributaries including the Aho Branch Creek . Due to industrial usage and highway widening projects in the 1970s, much of the Middle Fork was severely ecologically degraded. Since 2000, the Middle Fork Greenway project has been working to create a 6.5-mile recreational greenway between the two cities. Additionally, work is being done to restore native plants and damaged sections of the river.[2]