Saltlick Creek is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Little Kanawha River

Little Kanawha River

The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...

, 17.7 miles (28.5 km) long, in central West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 in the United States

United States

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

. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 rivers, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, draining an area of 49 square miles (126.9 km²) in a rural region on the unglaciated

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 portion of the Allegheny Plateau

Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...

.

Saltlick Creek flows for its entire length in Braxton County. It rises approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Flatwoods

Flatwoods, West Virginia

Flatwoods is a town in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 348 at the 2000 census. It is found at exit 67 on Interstate 79. The area immediately around the exit has in recent years been commercialized to the point where it now has an outlet mall, a hotel, several gas...

 and flows generally northward, through the communities of Corley

Corley, Braxton County, West Virginia

Corley is an unincorporated community in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. Corley is located along Saltlick Creek and County Route 22 east-northeast of Flatwoods....

, Rollyson

Rollyson, West Virginia

Rollyson is an unincorporated community in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. Rollyson is located along West Virginia Route 5, the CSX Railroad, and Saltlick Creek north of Flatwoods....

, and Gem

Gem, West Virginia

Gem is an unincorporated community in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. Gem is located on West Virginia Route 5, the CSX Railroad, and Saltlick Creek south of Burnsville....

 to its mouth at the Little Kanawha River in Burnsville

Burnsville, West Virginia

Burnsville is a town in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Little Kanawha River and Saltlick Creek. The population was 481 at the 2000 census...

. Downstream of Rollyson, the creek is paralleled by West Virginia Route 5.

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 80% of the Saltlick Creek watershed is forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

ed, mostly deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

. Approximately 18% is used for pasture and agriculture.

According to the Geographic Names Information System

Geographic Names Information System

The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, Saltlick Creek has historically been known by the variant names "Salt Lick," "Salt Lick Creek," "Salt Lick Fork," and "Saltlick Fork."