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1983 Map of Heron Reservoir

Name: 1983 Topographic Map of Heron Reservoir
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Tierra Amarilla Grant lands dominate this northern New Mexico landscape, where the waters of the Rio Chama feed into the massive Heron Reservoir. This 1983 edition shows the area during a period of established water management and recreational development, highlighted by the surrounding Heron Lake State Park. The shoreline is intricately defined by features like the Peninsula and Big Island, while the reservoir itself narrows at a point appropriately labeled The Narrows.

South of the dam, the canyon of the Rio Chama snakes toward the upper reaches of El Vado Reservoir. Local infrastructure and early industrial activity are evident in the presence of the Tierra Amarilla Airport and a Gravel Pit near the river. High-elevation drainage patterns are visible through several tributaries, including Willow Creek and Horse Lake Creek, which cut through the high plateau terrain characteristic of Rio Arriba County.