Leading 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 Tygart Valley River

Tygart Valley River

The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long, in east-central West Virginia, USA...

, 17.4 miles (28 km) long, in eastern 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 Tygart Valley, 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 61 square miles (158 km²) in the Allegheny Mountains

Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...

. The stream's entire course and drainage basin are in northern Randolph County

Randolph County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

.

Leading Creek rises north of Montrose

Montrose, West Virginia

Montrose is a town in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Montrose is located at , along Leading Creek....

 and flows southward in a valley between Laurel Mountain

Laurel Mountain (West Virginia)

For other "Laurel Mountains", see Laurel Mountain .Laurel Mountain, also called Laurel Hill, is a long ridge in north-central West Virginia, USA...

 and Cheat Mountain

Cheat Mountain

Cheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long and more than five miles wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat, which has an elevation of...

, through Montrose and the unincorporated community of Kerens

Kerens, West Virginia

Kerens is an unincorporated community in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. Kerens is north-northeast of Elkins, along Leading Creek. Kerens has a post office with ZIP code 26276....

, to Elkins

Elkins, West Virginia

Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins , a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County...

, where it flows into the Tygart Valley River from the north. The creek is paralleled by U.S. Route 219

U.S. Route 219

U.S. Route 219 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York at an interchange with Interstate 90, to Rich Creek, Virginia, intersecting at U.S. Route 460. U.S. 219 is found in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia...

 for most of its course.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 80% of the Leading Creek 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 18% is used for pasture and agriculture.