The Russell Fork is a 51.9 miles (83.5 km) tributary of the Levisa Fork in southwestern Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 and southeastern Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 in the United States

United States

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

. Known for its whitewater rafting, it rises in the Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

 of southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virginia counties on the Appalachian Plateau, all Virginia counties west of the Eastern Continental Divide, or...

, in southern Dickenson County

Dickenson County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,395 people, 6,732 households, and 4,887 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile . There were 7,684 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...

, and flows north through the town of Haysi, Virginia

Haysi, Virginia

Haysi is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 186 at the 2000 census. The pronunciation of the final syllable is that of "sigh".-Geography:Haysi is located at ....

, the Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Interstate Park, also referred as the "Grand Canyon of the South", is located in southeastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain...

, and the town of Elkhorn City, Kentucky

Elkhorn City, Kentucky

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,060 people, 437 households, and 295 families residing in the city. The population density was 525.5 people per square mile . There were 506 housing units at an average density of 250.8 per square mile...

, in Pike County

Pike County, Kentucky

Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 65,024. Its county seat is Pikeville. Pike is Kentucky's largest county in terms of land area. Pike County is the 11th largest county in Kentucky in terms of population preceded by Bullitt County and...

, where it flows into the Levisa Fork which, together with the Tug Fork, form the Big Sandy River

Big Sandy River (Ohio River)

The Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along its entire course...

.