The Right Fork Little Kanawha River 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 Little Kanawha River

Little Kanawha River

The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

, 14.1 miles (22.7 km) long, in 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 Little Kanawha 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 37.6 square miles (97.4 km²) in a rural region.

The Right Fork Little Kanawha River rises in extreme southeastern Upshur County

Upshur County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,404 people, 8,972 households, and 6,352 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 10,751 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile...

, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Helvetia

Helvetia, West Virginia

Helvetia is an unincorporated census-designated place in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 59...

, and flows generally westward along the boundary between Upshur and Webster counties; then along the boundary between Lewis

Lewis County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,919 people, 6,946 households, and 4,806 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 7,944 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

 and Webster counties, through the community of Cleveland

Cleveland, West Virginia

Cleveland is an unincorporated community in Webster County, West Virginia, United States. Cleveland is located north of Webster Springs on West Virginia Route 20, along the Right Fork Little Kanawha River. Cleveland has a post office with ZIP code 26215....

. Near its mouth it flows through a small portion of the eastern extremity of Braxton County, and flows into the Little Kanawha River from the south near the boundary between Braxton and Lewis counties, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the community of Wildcat

Wildcat, West Virginia

Wildcat is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. Wildcat is located along the Little Kanawha River and County Route 50 south-southeast of Weston....

.

Upstream of Cleveland the Right Fork collects a tributary named Left Fork Right Fork Little Kanawha River, which flows westward for 7.1 miles (11.4 km) through southern Upshur County.