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2016 Map of Badger Wash

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Badger Wash
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

Grand Valley sits at the intersection of complex water management and high desert terrain on the border of Garfield and Mesa Counties. The landscape is defined by the Government Highline Canal, a critical piece of irrigation infrastructure that cuts across the contours to support regional agriculture. This engineered waterway contrasts with the natural drainage patterns of W Salt Cr, Badger Wash, and Dry Canyon Wash, which carve through the land toward the south.

The map reveals a grid-based rural settlement pattern, characterized by numerically named thoroughfares like 6 1/2 Rd and S Rd. These routes connect isolated holdings and follow the canal’s path, reflecting the late-20th-century development of this arid corridor. From the northern heights of Prairie Canyon to the residential clusters along Oasis Dr, the map documents the transition from open grazing and drainage lands to organized western settlement near the turn of the 21st century.