Elk River (West Virginia)

Elk River
Elk River in Charleston, West Virginia
A map of Elk River and its watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Counties	Pocahontas, Randolph, Webster, Braxton, Clay, Kanawha
Physical characteristics
Source	Old Field Fork
• location	Elk Mountain, Pocahontas County
• coordinates	38°18′24″N 80°06′18″W / 38.30667°N 80.10500°W / 38.30667; -80.10500
• elevation	3,557 ft (1,084 m)[1]
2nd source	Big Spring Fork
• location	Pocahontas County
• coordinates	38°22′32″N 80°00′34″W / 38.37556°N 80.00944°W / 38.37556; -80.00944
• elevation	3,655 ft (1,114 m)[2]
Source confluence
• location	Slatyfork
• coordinates	38°25′08″N 80°07′48″W / 38.41889°N 80.13000°W / 38.41889; -80.13000
• elevation	2,667 ft (813 m)[3]
Mouth	Kanawha River[4]
• location	Charleston
• coordinates	38°21′18″N 81°38′42″W / 38.35500°N 81.64500°W / 38.35500; -81.64500
• elevation	574 ft (175 m)
Length	172 mi (277 km)[5]
Discharge
• location	Queen Shoals[6]
• average	2,650 cu ft/s (75 m3/s)[6]
• minimum	271 cu ft/s (7.7 m3/s)(1976)
• maximum	14,000 cu ft/s (400 m3/s)(1972)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Birch River
• right	Holly River

The Elk River is a tributary of the Kanawha River, 172 miles (277 km) long,^[5] in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.