Loading map...

1963 Map of Sheep Mountain

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Sheep Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

Uncompahgre National Forest dominates this section of the western San Juan mountains, split by the winding drainage of the Little Cimarron River. The landscape is defined by the high, flat-topped High Mesa and the prominent peak of Sheep Mountain, which straddles the county line between Gunnison and Hinsdale counties. A network of primitive routes, including the Van Boxel Trail and the Alpine Trail, connects historic seasonal clearings like Johnson Park.

By the early 1980s, the establishment of the Big Blue Wilderness designated much of this terrain for protection, reflecting a transition toward conservation and recreation. The presence of the Alpine Guard Sta near the Big Blue Campground points to a legacy of forest management and early twentieth-century administrative oversight. From Fall Creek to the East Fork Little Cimarron River, the map documents a high-altitude wilderness used primarily for stock driving and backcountry travel.