2012 Map of Avenal Gap

About this map

The Governor Edmund G Brown California Aqueduct dominates the eastern landscape of this 2012 survey, cutting a straight, engineered path across the arid terrain of Kern County. This region is defined by a series of low-lying hills and dry washes, including the prominent Avenal Gap and the water-carved Arroyo Ancho. Small, rural settlements such as La Zanja, El Vejón, and Devils Den are scattered throughout, connected by a network of local roads like Pyramid Hills Rd and Devils Den Rd. The landscape exhibits a transition between the elevated relief of Pintojo Ridge and Boulder Hill and the flatter expanses of Pepper Grass Valley. This map documents a modern snapshot of California's water infrastructure and the persistent, sparse settlement patterns within its interior valleys, where names like Alamo Solo Spring hint at the critical importance of water in this environment.