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2018 Map of Holland Canyon

Name: 2018 Topographic Map of Holland Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2018
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2018

About this map

The San Andreas Fault cuts a prominent diagonal across this landscape, separating the Temblor Range from the complex network of canyons and valleys below. This high-desert terrain at the border of Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties is defined by its water sources, which are carefully documented as isolated springs. Locations like Hughes Spring, Williamson Spring, and the descriptively named Bellyache Spring provide the only reliable hydration in a land of seasonal drainage, such as San Juan Creek and Franciscan Creek.

Transit through the region follows established natural corridors like Palo Prieto Pass and the long stretch of Bitterwater Valley. Local history is etched into the names of the varied terrain, from the Red Hills in the northwest to the deep incisions of Holland Canyon, Wilkinson Canyon, and San Luis Canyon. This survey captures the rural character of the area where Choice Valley meets the high ridges, mapped at a time when these remote canyon roads remained the primary arteries for ranching and transport.