2019 Map of Iris

About this map

Iris and the nearby Iris Cemetery sit along the high-elevation boundary between Gunnison and Saguache counties. This landscape is defined by a dense network of gulches and ridges that drain toward the Cochetopa Creek corridor, which carves through the prominent Cochetopa Canyon in the northeast. The distribution of small settlements like Sillsville and Chance indicates the dispersed nature of historical land use in this part of the Colorado high country, where mining and ranching trails like Quartz Hill Road and the Ponderosa Trail navigate the complex terrain. Geological features such as the Schisto Basin and Merry-go-round Gulch point to the area's specialized local history, while landmarks like Green Mountain and Cooper Mountain provide fixed reference points for those tracing old territorial lines or early 20th-century land claims.