Little Hocking River

Little Hocking River
The West Branch of the Little Hocking River in Belpre Township in 2006
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Washington County
Tributaries
- right	East Branch Little Hocking River, Little West Branch Little Hocking River, West Branch Little Hocking River
Source
- location	Fairfield Township
- elevation	932 ft (284 m)
- coordinates	39°23′48″N 81°42′59″W / 39.39667°N 81.71639°W / 39.39667; -81.71639
Mouth	Ohio River
- location	Little Hocking
- elevation	584 ft (178 m)
- coordinates	39°15′47″N 81°41′39″W / 39.26306°N 81.69417°W / 39.26306; -81.69417Coordinates: 39°15′47″N 81°41′39″W / 39.26306°N 81.69417°W / 39.26306; -81.69417
Length	18.4 mi (30 km)
Basin	102 sq mi (264 km2)
Map of the Little Hocking River and its watershed.

The Little Hocking River is a small tributary of the Ohio River, 18.4 miles (29.6 km) long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 102 square miles (260 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The river flows for its entire length in southwestern Washington County; its tributaries also drain a small area of southeastern Athens County.

The Little Hocking River rises in Fairfield Township between the communities of Barlow and Bartlett and initially flows southeastward through southwestern Barlow Township into Dunham Township, where it is dammed to form Veto Lake, which is surrounded by the 160-acre (0.65 km²) Veto Lake State Wildlife Area. Downstream of Veto Lake, the river flows southwestward into Belpre Township; near its mouth it turns eastward and flows into the Ohio River at the community of Little Hocking.

Among the Little Hocking River's tributaries are three with names derived from that of the main stream:

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Little Hocking River has also been known historically as "Little Hockhocken River," "Little Hockhockin River," and "Little Hockhocking River."