Flowing through some of Ohio's wildest and most scenic areas, Little Beaver Creek in Columbiana County was the first in Ohio to be designated a wild river by the Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on January 15, 1974. Little Beaver Creek is one of only three rivers in Ohio which have also been included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. Little Beaver Creek is a river of deep valleys, wooded slopes and occasional rock outcroppings. It is a river of great diversity and relatively untouched by development. Ohio's largest population of endangered Hellbender salamanders resides in Little Beaver Creek.
History abounds in the Little Beaver Creek Valley.
A historic marker now identifies the spot where in 1785, Thomas Hutchins began the first U.S. Public Land Survey. At the time, this was the greatest subdivision of land in America and represented the first time land was actually surveyed prior to being sold. Remnants of the once thriving canal system are well preserved throughout the region. Little Beaver Creek located in eastern Ohio was designated as the State's first Wild River and the state's second National Scenic River. Little Beaver Creek State Wild and Scenic River is designated for approximately 36 river miles.