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1970 Map of Baker Peak

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Baker Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Sawtooth National Forest dominates this 1970s landscape, where the high ridgelines of the Sawtooth Mountains serve as a natural boundary between Blaine and Camas counties. This high-altitude terrain is defined by its drainage systems and glacial features, including the steep walls of Royal Gorge and the notable summits of Baker Peak and Big Peak. The map reveals a complex network of pack trails that provided the primary access for forest management and back-country travel before the expansion of modern road systems.

Water is the defining resource here, with numerous high-mountain basins holding clear bodies of water such as Big Lost Lake, Smoky Lake, and the Norton Lakes. These lakes feed a series of converging waterways including Smoky Creek and Baker Creek. Notable drainage features like Slide Rock Canyon, Castle Gulch, and Alpine Gulch illustrate the erosional patterns of the range, while the presence of Placer Creek hints at the mineral prospecting history typical of this Idaho region.