The Little Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River

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...

, approximately 65 mi (105 km) long, in southeast Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 in the United States

United States

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

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It rises in the hill country of Monroe County

Monroe County, Ohio

Monroe County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,642. Its county seat is Woodsfield and is named for James Monroe, Secretary of State when the county was formed and later President of the United States....

, approximately 5 mi (8 km) northwest of the Ohio River and 8 mi (13 km) southeast of Woodsfield

Woodsfield, Ohio

Woodsfield is a village in Monroe County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,598 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County and houses the Monroe County Courthouse.-Geography:Woodsfield is located at ....

. It flows southwest, in a tight meander

Meander

A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...

ing course, roughly parallel to, and staying within 8 mi (13 km) of the Ohio. It passes Rinard Mills

Rinard Mills, Ohio

Rinard Mills is a small unincorporated village on the Little Muskingum River in southwestern Washington Township, Monroe County, Ohio, United States. It is named after Isaac Rinard, who owned a mill at the village. The village is situated on State Route 26 between Marietta and Woodsfield . The...

 and Dart, and joins the Ohio approximately 5 mi (8 km) southeast of Marietta, Ohio

Marietta, Ohio

Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...

 and the mouth of the Muskingum River

Muskingum River

The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...

, which enters the Ohio from the northwest. Duck Creek

Duck Creek (Ohio)

Duck Creek is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 30 mi long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed...

 enters the Ohio between the mouth of the Muskingum and Little Muskingum.

All except the last 2 mi (3.2 km) of the river are within Wayne National Forest

Wayne National Forest

The Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on US Route 33, overlooking the Hocking River.The forest...

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