| Birch River | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Birch_River_West_Virginia.jpg) The Birch River in the community of Birch River in Nicholas County in 2007 | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:USA_West_Virginia_relief_location_map.svg)  Location of mouth in West Virginia | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 38°35′32″N 80°53′04″W / 38.59222°N 80.88444°W |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Elk River |
The Birch River is a tributary of the Elk River in rural central West Virginia in the United States, on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It rises near the town of Cowen in western Webster County, and flows generally WNW through northern Nicholas County and southern Braxton County, where it joins the Elk. Tributaries are Millcreek, Polemic Creek, and Skyles Creek.
The river most likely was named after birch trees lining its banks.[1]
- ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 116.