Glade Creek is a major
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
New River in
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Raleigh County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,591. Its county seat is Beckley. The county was founded in 1850 and is named for Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh County is included in the ...
. Glade Creek lies within the largest side valley off New River in the
New River Gorge National River
The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a unit of the United States National Park Service (NPS) designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1978 as a nat ...
area.
Sources
Glade Creek is formed on
Flat Top Mountain just north of the point where
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
,
Summers and
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...
counties intersect. Just north of its source near
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
, it is impounded to form Flat Top Lake. Further north, it is again impounded to form Glade Creek Reservoir.
Canyon
Immediately north of Glade Creek Reservoir, Glade Creek begins its canyon section. The canyon varies from about in depth at its upstream end to over deep near its mouth at the
New River southeast of
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
.
Much of the lower canyon is traversed by an abandoned railroad bed. Today, this former railbed is maintained as a hiking trail by
New River Gorge National River
The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a unit of the United States National Park Service (NPS) designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1978 as a nat ...
.
Phil G. McDonald Bridge
Approximately upstream of its mouth, Glade Creek is crossed by
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
on the Phil G. McDonald Memorial Bridge, also known as the Glade Creek Bridge. This long
deck truss
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
bridge
towers above the creek bed,
making it the highest Interstate bridge in the United States.
See also
*
List of rivers of West Virginia
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
List of West Virginia rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (i.e., branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the state. Exc ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
Rivers of Raleigh County, West Virginia