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2014 Map of Big Cottonwood Canyon

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Big Cottonwood Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

The South Fork Owyhee River carves through the high desert of Elko County, defining the northern landscape of this remote Nevada quadrangle. In this high-altitude basin, the Tuscarora Mountains dominate the central terrain, rising toward Dry Creek Mtn in the southwest. The mapping reveals a sparse network of 4WD trails and local roads that navigate between significant geographic depressions like Big Cottonwood Canyon and Cottonwood Creek Canyon.

At the northern edge, Swimmers Flat provides a rare level break in the otherwise deeply etched drainage systems of Dry Creek and its seasonal tributaries. The township and range boundaries of the Public Land Survey System overlay a landscape primarily shaped by hydrologic erosion, showing how the water-scarce environment dictated the placement of early tracks and travel routes through the mountain passes.