2021 Map of East Elk Hills

About this map

The Elk Hills dominate the southern half of this landscape in the San Joaquin Valley, rising sharply above the managed agricultural plains of the Central Valley. This area is defined by an intricate network of water management infrastructure, most notably the Governor Edmund G Brown California Aqueduct, which cuts diagonally across the terrain alongside the W Side Canal and the E Side Canal. The northern flats are subdivided by a grid of irrigation features including the Florida Drain, Weed Island Ditch, and Deep Wells Ditch, supporting the region's intensive industrial-scale farming. In the northwest, the Elk Hills-Buttonwillow Airport serves as a lone aviation landmark near the intersection of the hills and the valley floor. The map records a modern landscape where natural topography meets massive civil engineering projects designed to move water through Kern County.