Big Sandy Creek (Cheat River tributary)

Big Sandy Creek is a 31.3-mile-long (50.4 km)[3] mountain stream which begins in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and flows into Preston County, West Virginia, in the United States. The Big Sandy flows through Bruceton Mills and Rockville, West Virginia, before crashing down the mountainside and reaching its confluence with the Cheat River at the abandoned town of Jenkinsburg.

Big Sandy Creek
Map
Location
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania, West Virginia
CountiesFayette PA, Preston WV
Physical characteristics
SourceChestnut Ridge, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
 • locationFayette County, PA
 • coordinates39°51′01″N 79°39′15″W / 39.85028°N 79.65417°W / 39.85028; -79.65417
 • elevation2,256 ft (688 m)[2]
MouthCheat River
 • location
Jenkinsburg, WV
 • coordinates
39°35′48″N 79°44′55″W / 39.59667°N 79.74861°W / 39.59667; -79.74861
 • elevation
616 ft (188 m)
Discharge 
 • locationRockville, WV[1]
 • average50 cu ft/s (1.4 m3/s)[1]
 • minimum4.1 cu ft/s (0.12 m3/s)(1953)
 • maximum931 cu ft/s (26.4 m3/s)(1912)
Basin features
Progressionsoutheast
River systemMonongahela River
Tributaries 
 • leftBraddock Run, Scotts Run, Stony Fork, Little Sandy Creek (Big Sandy Creek), Glade Run, Little Sandy Creek, Parker Run, Sovern Run, Joe Run
 • rightChaney Run, McIntire Run, Quebec Run, Tebolt Run, Hazel Run, Laurel Run

The Big Sandy is a popular whitewater kayaking run, a destination for paddlers from many states in the late winter and early spring. The most commonly run section is the Class-V Lower Big Sandy, from Rockville to Jenkinsburg, which contains two runnable waterfalls: Wonder Falls (Class IV) and Big Splat (Class 5.1).

Recreation

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Fishing

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Multiple West Virginia stage record fish were caught along the Big Sandy Creek.[4][5][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b United States Geological Survey; USGS 03070500 BIG SANDY CREEK AT ROCKVILLE, WV; retrieved July 18, 2009.
  2. ^ "Big Sandy Creek Source". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". West Virginia DNR. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "West Virginia Fishing Records". Land Big Fish. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Kirk, Sam (January 10, 2024). "West Virginia DNR creates 5 new state fishing record categories". WBOY. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
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