Loading map...

2023 Map of Seven Lakes NE

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

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

Chaco Culture National Historical Park anchors the northwestern corner of this McKinley County landscape, where the ancient topography of Chaco Canyon begins to emerge from the surrounding high desert. The terrain is defined by dramatic elevation changes, notably at Chaco Mesa and its western extension, W Chaco Mesa. These landforms overlook an intricate drainage system where the seasonal waters of Chaco Wash and Fajada Wash have carved deep into the earth.

Rising above the central plateau, Red Mountain serves as a prominent navigational landmark. The map documents the arid geography of the San Juan Basin in the 2020s, revealing a sparse network of roads that follow the natural contours of the mesas and washes. This contemporary survey by the U.S. Geological Survey provides a clear view of the protected cultural landscape and the natural geological boundaries that have shaped human activity in this region for centuries.