Elk Creek is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the West Fork River

West Fork River

The West Fork River is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, 103 miles long, in north-central West Virginia in the United States...

, 29 miles (46.7 km) long, in north-central West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Via the West Fork, Monongahela

Monongahela River

The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...

 and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 Rivers, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, draining an area of 121 square miles (313.4 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau

Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...

. The stream is believed to have been named by an 18th century trapper and hunter named John Simpson, who encountered herds of elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

 along the stream.

Elk Creek rises approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Philippi

Philippi, West Virginia

Philippi is a city in — and the county seat of — Barbour County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 2,870 at the 2000 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as "The Philippi Races"...

 in western Barbour County

Barbour County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there are 15,557 people, 6,123 households, and 4,365 families residing in the county. The population density is 46 people per square mile . There are 7,348 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...

 and flows generally west-northwestwardly into Harrison County

Harrison County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 27,867 households, and 19,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 165 people per square mile . There were 31,112 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile...

, where it passes through the communities of Stonewood

Stonewood, West Virginia

Stonewood is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stonewood is located at , along Elk Creek....

 and Nutter Fort

Nutter Fort, West Virginia

Nutter Fort is a town in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, incorporated in 1923. The town is a southeastern suburb of Clarksburg, West Virginia. Since 1996, Nutter Fort has held the West Virginia Blackberry Festival during the first weekend of August. The population was 1,686 at the...

; it flows into the West Fork River in the city of Clarksburg

Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...

.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 70% of Elk Creek's watershed is forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

ed, mostly deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

. Approximately 22% is used for pasture and agriculture, and approximately 3% is urban.