2010 Map of Piute Basin West

About this map

Owyhee River flows through the northern reaches of this remote high-desert landscape in Owyhee County, providing a critical water source in an otherwise arid region. The drainage patterns are defined by the winding course of Piute Creek, which snakes through the basin from the southeast. This 2010 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey captures the terrain of the Piute Basin West quadrangle, where the sharp incision of Cherry Gulch breaks the open plateau. The map illustrates a largely undeveloped expanse of the Owyhee desert, showing the essential relationship between the local topography and the scarce water resources that dictate land use in this corner of Idaho.