Big Cove Creek is a 19.9 miles (32 km) 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 Licking Creek

Licking Creek

Licking Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the United States.Licking Creek is born on the west slope of Tuscarora Mountain, near Cowans Gap State Park, flows through eastern Fulton County and a corner of Franklin County in Pennsylvania, and then enters...

 in Fulton County

Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 14,845.Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.Its county seat is McConnellsburg....

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, in the United States

United States

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

.

Big Cove Creek rises on the west side of Cove Mountain, just outside the Buchanan State Forest

Buchanan State Forest

Buchanan State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #2. The main office is located in McConnellsburg in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States...

. It flows southward in the valley between Cove Mountain and Little Scrub Ridge and Scrub Ridge, generally paralleling U.S. Route 522

U.S. Route 522

U.S. Route 522 is a spur route of U.S. Route 22 in the eastern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 60 in Powhatan, Virginia. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 15 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. US 522 passes through the states of Virginia, West...

. About four miles south of its source, it passes through McConnellsburg

McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania

McConnellsburg is a borough in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fulton County....

, the only town of note along its course. About five miles to the south, the creek swings westward and cuts the gap along the south side of Strawberry Ridge, meeting Back Run. It now flows in a narrow valley between Scrub Ridge and the northern outliers of Dickeys Mountain, and is fed by Roaring Run and Spring Run. At the hamlet of Big Cove Tannery, Route 522 swings away to cross Scrub Ridge, and Pennsylvania Route 928

Pennsylvania Route 928

Pennsylvania Route 928 is a long state highway located in Fulton county in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is the Maryland state line in Thompson Township. The northern terminus is at US 522 in Ayr Township.-Route description:...

 follows the creek south. Just below, Esther Run cuts a deep gap between Dickeys Mountain and Lowery Knob to enter it from the east. It passes through an outlying parcel of Buchanan State Forest, then hugs the west side of the valley while Route 928 climbs away on the east side. It finally joins Licking Creek north of the town of Dickeys Mountain.

Tributaries

• Esther Run
• Spring Run
• Roaring Run
• Back Run
• Kendall Run