Loading map...

1999 Map of Big Island

Name: 1999 Topographic Map of Big Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2001
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2001

About this map

The James River carves a deep valley through the Virginia landscape on this sheet, defining the border between Bedford and Amherst counties. The winding Blue Ridge Parkway tracks the western ridges, offering a series of high-elevation points such as the Otter Creek Flats Overlook and the The Riffles Overlook. This corridor is primarily managed as part of the George Washington National Forest, where steep terrain funnels numerous tributaries like Love Lady Creek and Dancing Creek toward the larger river basins.

Local settlement is concentrated at river crossings and valley gaps, including the community of Big Island and the historical site at Pedlar Mills. Several small rural congregations are noted by their houses of worship, such as Centenary Ch and Thornton Ch, reflecting the distributed nature of mountain life. The landscape is a mix of protected forest and small riverfront outposts like Waugh and Coleman Falls, connected by the enduring flow of the Pedlar River as it joins the James.