Middle Fork River
| Middle Fork River | |
|---|---|
 The Middle Fork River in Audra State Park in 2005 | |
 Map of the Monongahela River basin, with the Middle Fork River highlighted | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Kittle Creek |
| • location | Rich Mountain, Randolph County |
| • coordinates | 38°40′03″N 80°04′45″W / 38.66750°N 80.07917°W[1] |
| • elevation | 3,639 ft (1,109 m)[2] |
| 2nd source | Birch Fork |
| • location | Rocky Ridge, Randolph County |
| • coordinates | 38°40′47″N 80°05′58″W / 38.67972°N 80.09944°W[3] |
| • elevation | 3,493 ft (1,065 m)[2] |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Adolph, West Virginia, Randolph County |
| • coordinates | 38°44′44″N 80°02′47″W / 38.74556°N 80.04639°W[4] |
| • elevation | 2,303 ft (702 m)[1] |
| Mouth | Tygart Valley River |
• location | Barbour County |
• coordinates | 39°03′41″N 80°02′51″W / 39.06139°N 80.04750°W[4] |
• elevation | 1,483 ft (452 m)[4] |
| Length | 35 mi (56 km)[5] |
| Basin size | 152 sq mi (390 km2)[6] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Audra State Park[7] |
| • average | 356 cu ft/s (10.1 m3/s)[7] |
| • minimum | 0.2 cu ft/s (0.0057 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 16,700 cu ft/s (470 m3/s) |
The Middle Fork River is a 35.4-mile-long (57.0 km)
Geography
The Middle Fork River is formed at the community of Adolph in western Randolph County by the confluence of the headwaters tributaries Kittle Creek and Birch Fork, each approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length, which rise just north of Kumbrabow State Forest and flow northwardly. Kittle Creek rises on the western slope of Rich Mountain, considered to be part of the westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains and the eastern boundary of the Allegheny Plateau.[1][3][8][9]
From Adolph, the Middle Fork River flows generally northwardly, roughly in parallel to Rich Mountain. The river's course defines part of the boundary between Randolph and Upshur counties, and then between Upshur and Barbour counties, before flowing into southern Barbour County, where it joins the Tygart Valley River, approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Philippi and a few miles upstream of the mouth of the Buckhannon River.[8] Near its mouth it passes through Audra State Park, which was established in the mid-20th century and provides campsites and a swimming beach along the river.[10] In Upshur County it collects a tributary known as the Right Fork Middle Fork River,[11] which rises in southwestern Randolph County and flows northwardly into eastern Upshur County.[8]
For most of its course, the Middle Fork forms
Flow rate
At the
See also
- List of West Virginia rivers
References
- ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Kittle Creek (Feature ID #1551657)". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ GNISsource coordinates. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Birch Fork (Feature ID #1550360)". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b c d Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Middle Fork River (Feature ID #1552064)". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed August 15, 2011
- ^ a b West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Watershed Atlas Project". pp. Tygart Valley River watershed. Archived from the original on 2005-04-04. Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ^ a b c Ward, S. M.; G. R. Crosby. "Water Resources Data, West Virginia, Water Year 2005". United States Geological Survey. pp. Monongahela River Basin. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
- ^ ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
- ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ISBN 0-9778498-0-5.
- ^ Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Right Fork Middle Fork River (Feature ID #1552662)". Retrieved 2007-03-26.
- ISBN 0-89732-156-1.