Loading map...

2003 Map of Cottonwood Spring

Name: 2003 Topographic Map of Cottonwood Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2004
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2004

About this map

The Salton Sea shoreline dominates the southwestern corner of this survey, where the planned communities of North Shore, Mortmar, and Desert Beach meet the water. This arid landscape is a study in transitions, from the low-lying Torres Martinez Indian Reservation near the sea to the high desert terrain of Joshua Tree National Park in the north. The infrastructure of the Coachella Valley is clearly visible, with the Southern Pacific railroad and Highway 111 hugging the coast, while the 10 freeway cuts across Shavers Valley.

Inside the park boundaries, the Cottonwood Visitor Center serves as a gateway to the Cottonwood Mountains and the Joshua Tree Wilderness. Natural water sources like Cottonwood Spring provide a rare focus for desert life amid the vast drainage systems of Pinkham Wash and Orocopia Wash. In the northeast, the Eagle Mountains rise sharply, dotted with scattered mines that reflect the region's long history of mineral exploration.