Loading map...

1955 Map of Mount Ethel

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Mount Ethel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Park Range peaks and the high-altitude Continental Divide define this mid-century survey of the Colorado wilderness. This topography, mapped in the 1950s as part of the Department of the Interior’s work for the Missouri River Basin development, highlights the hydrological divide between Routt and Jackson counties. The landscape is dominated by a dense network of alpine water bodies, including Lake Katherine, Ptarmigan Lake, and the remote Lake of the Crags.

A primitive transportation network of high-elevation paths, such as the Wyoming Trail and Lost Ranger Trail, traverses the Routt National Forest. These trails link prominent landmarks like Mount Ethel and Lost Ranger Peak to the drainages of the Roaring Fork and Beaver Creek. The map provides a detailed view of the natural drainage systems before significant modern recreation infrastructure, tracing the headwaters of Mad Creek and the South Fork Elk River through glacial basins like Wolverine Basin.