Rattlesnake Creek rises near South Solon in southwestern Madison County, and flows generally southeastwardly through Fayette, Clinton and Highland counties, past the town of Octa. It joins Paint Creek in Paint Creek State Park as an arm of Paint Creek Lake,[4] 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Greenfield.[1]
Parts of the creek flow through rapids; 3 miles (4.8 km) in Highland County have been rated Class II (IV) whitewater rapids.[5]
A USGSstream gauge on the creek at Centerfield in Highland County recorded a mean annual discharge of 244.8 cubic feet per second (6.93 m3/s) during water years 1972–1981.[6]