Loading map...

2010 Map of Cortez

Name: 2010 Topographic Map of Cortez
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2010
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2010

About this map

The city of Cortez serves as the focal point for this 2010 topographic survey, sitting at the junction of the Montezuma Valley and the northern reaches of Mesa Verde. The landscape around the city is a hybrid of high-desert terrain and an intricate irrigation network, characterized by the Rocky Ford Ditch and Highline Ditch that feed the surrounding agricultural land. To the north and east, reservoirs like Totten Lake and Denny Lake provide critical water management and recreation near the Conquistador Golf Course.

Resource extraction history is visible in the numerous mining sites scattered across the quadrangle, including the Cortez Mine, Montezuma Mine, and the Mitchell Springs Mine. The southern portion of the map transitions into the dramatic topography of the Mesa Verde plateau, featuring deep incisions like Long Canyon and East Fork Horse Canyon below the North Rim. Institutional landmarks such as the University of Colorado Center and the Cortez-Montezuma County Airport highlight the area's role as a regional hub in southwestern Colorado.