[1] It rises in glacial till near Chardon, Ohio, and cuts through the Defiance Moraine[2] on its way north and exposes rock formations from the Paleozoic Era, including the fossiliferous Chagrin Shale.

[4][5] With a watershed of 50 square miles (130 km2) its tributaries include Cutts, Jenks, Aylworth, East, Gordon and Kellogg Creeks.

[4][5][7] Although now an area for recreation including hiking, fishing and camping the Big Creek valley was once a place of industrial activity with saw mills, iron furnaces and a leather tannery.

[10] Kingfishers and wood ducks can be spotted along the creek, and swallows make nests in the banks that overlook open areas.

Numerous types of woodpeckers can be spotted or heard in the forest, including pileated, red bellied, hairy, and downy.