Loading map...

2012 Map of Seventeen Palms

Name: 2012 Topographic Map of Seventeen Palms
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2012
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2012

About this map

Seventeen Palms and its namesake Seventeen Palms Spring anchor the southwestern portion of this arid landscape within the expansive Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The map documents a complex system of ephemeral desert drainage, where deep channels like Wonderstone Wash, Big Wash, and Palm Wash cut through the terrain toward the Salton Sea in the northeast. This hydrological pattern defines the local geography, showing how water—though infrequent—has carved the desert floor into a network of washes and arroyos, including the notable N Fork Arroyo Salada.

Modern infrastructure, such as the Borrego Salton Seaway and Truckhaven Trl, provides access to these remote reaches. The presence of Four Palms Spring and Anza Ditch indicates the critical locations of water sources that have historically dictated movement and survival in this section of the Colorado Desert. Landmarks like Rainbow Rock stand as distinctive geologic markers amidst the shifting sands and gravel washes.