Middle Fork River
| Middle Fork River | |
| River | |
 The Middle Fork River in Audra State Park in 2005
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | West Virginia |
| Source | Kittle Creek |
| - location | Rich Mountain, Randolph County |
| - elevation | 3,639 ft (1,109 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°40′03″N 80°04′45″W / 38.66750°N 80.07917°W |
| Secondary source | Birch Fork |
| - location | Rocky Ridge, Randolph County |
| - elevation | 3,493 ft (1,065 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°40′47″N 80°05′58″W / 38.67972°N 80.09944°W |
| Source confluence | |
| - location | Adolph, West Virginia, Randolph County |
| - elevation | 2,303 ft (702 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°44′44″N 80°02′47″W / 38.74556°N 80.04639°W |
| Mouth | Tygart Valley River |
| - location | Barbour County |
| - elevation | 1,483 ft (452 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°03′41″N 80°02′51″W / 39.06139°N 80.04750°WCoordinates: 39°03′41″N 80°02′51″W / 39.06139°N 80.04750°W |
| Length | 35 mi (56 km) |
| Basin | 152 sq mi (394 km2) |
| Discharge | for Audra State Park |
| - average | 356 cu ft/s (10 m3/s) |
| - max | 16,700 cu ft/s (473 m3/s) |
| - min | 0.2 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
 Map of the Monongahela River basin, with the Middle Fork River highlighted
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The Middle Fork River is a 35.4-mile-long (57.0 km)tributary of the Tygart Valley River in north-central West Virginia, USA. Via the Tygart Valley, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 152 square miles (390 km2) on the easternmost part of the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Middle Fork River has also been known simply as "Middle Fork" and as "Middlefork."
The Middle Fork River is formed at the community of Adolph in western Randolph County by the confluence of the headwaters tributaries Kittle Creek and Birch Fork, each approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length, which rise just north of Kumbrabow State Forest and flow northwardly. Kittle Creek rises on the western slope of Rich Mountain, considered to be part of the westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains and the eastern boundary of the Allegheny Plateau.
From Adolph, the Middle Fork River flows generally northwardly, roughly in parallel to Rich Mountain. The river's course defines part of the boundary between Randolph and Upshur counties, and then between Upshur and Barbour counties, before flowing into southern Barbour County, where it joins the Tygart Valley River, approximately 5 miles (8 km) south of Philippi and a few miles upstream of the mouth of the Buckhannon River. Near its mouth it passes through Audra State Park, which was established in the mid-20th century and provides campsites and a swimming beach along the river. In Upshur County it collects a tributary known as the Right Fork Middle Fork River, which rises in southwestern Randolph County and flows northwardly into eastern Upshur County.
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Wikipedia