Helton Creek in Ashe County, North Carolina, is beautiful; whether being calmed by the sound of its water rushing over rocks and around bends, or taking in its picturesque setting, it’s hard not to appreciate just how special Helton Creek is.

Helton Creek is a tributary of the North Fork of the New River, in Ashe County, North Carolina. As its name might imply, it does pass through the community of Helton, NC, and it runs along Highways 194 and 16 for a good portion of its route. It is also a “Delayed Harvest” trout stream for those who like to “waste” a good day throwing lines at fish.

HeltonCreek.org exists to preserve the quality, beauty, and cleanliness of Helton Creek. We do this by helping to organize trash and litter collection efforts, as well as raising support and awareness for Helton Creek’s importance to the local area in terms of fishing and tourism.

This idea came from the minds of three children who saw plastic, glass, and other trash/litter along the banks of the creek and in its water. While HeltonCreek.org started as a competition to see which of three children could pick up the most trash in an afternoon, it and they hope to have a measurable impact on their little corner of the world.