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2021 Map of Petroglyph Wash

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Petroglyph Wash
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

Lake Mead defines the northeastern corner of this landscape, its waters reaching into several prominent inlets such as Teakettle Bay and Petroglyph Bay. The surrounding territory is dominated by the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where the jagged peaks of the Black Mountains and Wilson Ridge give way to the broad alluvial expanse of Detrital Valley. Evidence of interior water sources is scarce, marked only by the isolated Wildhorse Spring tucked among the southern ridges.

Transport through this arid stretch of the Mojave Desert is limited to a few specific corridors. Remote access points to the shoreline are preserved by primitive routes including Bonelli Landing Rd and Bonelli Bay Rd, which navigate the elevation drops from the Stewart Cliffs toward the Virgin Basin. These trails provide a rare link between the high desert plateaus and the massive reservoir system of the Colorado River.