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2023 Map of Gunsight Canyon

Name: 2023 Topographic Map of Gunsight Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2023
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

Guadalupe Ridge dominates this high-altitude landscape in Eddy County, where the protected lands of Lincoln National Forest and Carlsbad Caverns National Park intersect. The map documents a complex network of drainages including Dark Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and the significant Gunsight Canyon that carves through the limestone. Water sources are critical markers in this arid environment, represented by named seeps like Aqua Dulce Seep and Hidden Seep, alongside more established points like Franks Spring and the Thurman Tanks.

Industry and navigation are traced through the presence of Gunsight and Helton Tank, while the deep backcountry is accessible only via historic routes like the Ussery Trl and Guadalupe Ridge Trl. The transition from the high Wild Cow Mesa down the Pacific Slope toward the Black River illustrates the dramatic elevation changes that characterize the Guadalupe Mountains. This survey provides a precise modern record of the primitive roads and wilderness boundaries that define this portion of the New Mexico-Texas borderlands.