1987 Map of East of Sand Flat

About this map

Death Valley National Monument is the primary focus of this high-altitude topographical study, which captures the stark geological transitions within Inyo County in the late 1980s. The landscape is dominated by the steep, dissected ridges of the Cottonwood Mountains, where numerous surveyed peaks and ridges demonstrate the dramatic elevation changes characteristic of the Great Basin. To the east, the terrain descends toward the Niter Beds, a region shaped by mineral deposits and alluvial processes. Navigational details are limited in this undeveloped wilderness, though a single 4wd track is marked as it winds through Marble Canyon, indicating the primary route for exploration or maintenance access. This provisional map provides a precise record of the natural contours and drainage patterns before the monument's expansion into a national park, offering essential data for those studying the physical geography and remote access routes of the Mojave Desert.