Russell Fork Overlook

Russell Fork Overlook. . Russell Fork originates at the confluence of a number of small streams near Council Virginia. Typical of the Appalachian Plateau, the river valley is narrow and V-shaped. Flash floods are not uncommon. Major tributaries are McClure River and Russell-Prater Creek, entering at Haysi, Virginia, and most notably Pound River just north of Bartlick. Russell Fork drains all of Dickenson and portions of Wise and Buchanan counties in Virginia. The drainage area above Elkhorn City, Kentucky, just downstream from here, is 554 square miles. , Russell Fork is tributary to Levisa Fork at Millard, Kentucky. Levisa Fork and Tug Fork combine at Louisa, Kentucky to form the Big Sandy River, which enters the Ohio River at Catlettsburg Kentucky. The Native American name for the Big Sandy was Chatterwha, and these highlands were called Ouasioto; both names have been applied to Russell Fork. , Russell Fork is a world-renowned whitewater stream, particularly the gorge section through the heart of Breaks Interstate Park. The river drops nearly 280 vertical feet from Garden Hole upstream of the Towers, to here. The stream runs over bare bedrock and around large boulders fallen from the cliffs which are 800-1000 feet high. , John W. Flannagan Reservoir and North Fork of Pound Dam and Lake were completed in 1964 and 1966, respectively, as flood control projects on Pound River. Controlled releases from Flannagan Reservoir assure prime whitewater conditions on October weekends of each year. The character of the river can change markedly at other times dependent on precipitation.