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1960 Map of Shell Lake

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Shell Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Big Horn National Forest land defines this high-elevation landscape, where the Big Horn and Johnson County boundary cuts through a series of dramatic peaks and alpine basins. The area serves as a significant drainage hub for the Bighorn Mountains, with Shell Creek flowing through the north and Medicine Lodge Creek winding through the central portion of the quadrangle. Several high passes, including Dutch Oven Pass and Geneva Pass, facilitate travel between these deep-cut canyons and glacial basins.

Remote backcountry camps and water sources are the primary human signatures here, from the Lake Geneva Campground to the sheltered Teepee Pole Flats. A complex network of historic pack routes, such as the Edelman Trail and Solitude Trail, connects numerous named water bodies like Shell Lake and the Lakes of the Rough. These trails reflect the early 20th-century development of forest management and recreation in Wyoming's high wilderness before the era of modern road expansion.