2017 Map of Rock Lake

About this map

Mesa Las Tapias overlooks a landscape defined by dry drainages and isolated water bodies in this 2017 survey of Torrance County. The terrain is characterized by significant natural depressions, most notably Rock Lake and the smaller Texas Lake to its east, which serve as rare collection points for the region's limited surface water. The drainage patterns of Rattlesnake Draw and McGillivray Draw indicate how water moves across these high plains toward the southwest, while Red Canyon cuts through the central portion of the quadrangle. Human infrastructure is primarily limited to the passage of Highway 285, which bisects the eastern townships. The grid of the Public Land Survey System, including townships t9n r11e and t8n r12e, provides the primary organizational structure for this expanse of ranch land.