Loading map...

2023 Map of Parker SW

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

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

The Colorado River forms the central artery of this borderland landscape, winding south from Big River and separating the desert terrain of California from Arizona. In the west, the Riverside Mountains rise above the Vidal Valley, while the eastern portion is dominated by the complex irrigation networks of the Parker Valley. This area reveals a high-intensity agricultural system managed through features like the Main Canal, Main Drain, and various laterals such as Lateral Nineteen R-37, which transformed the arid river bottom into productive fields.

Along the river's edge, natural features like Twelvemile Slough, Lost Lake, and Deer Island persist alongside human-engineered water management. The map documents a corridor of transit and boundary, where Us Rte 95 skirts the mountains and the tri-county corner of Riverside, San Bernardino, and La Paz counties meets. The transition from the rugged slopes of the Riverside Mountains to the reclaimed alluvial plains illustrates the region's total reliance on the Colorado for its economic and geographic identity.