2011 Map of Shipman Mountain

About this map

Shipman Mountain dominates the center of this Larimer County landscape, where the high-altitude terrain is defined by a complex network of alpine drainage and early water management systems. The map illustrates the vital role of water diversion in this part of Colorado, showing the courses of the Ute Pass Ditch, Medicine Bow Ditch, and William Kerr Ditch. These man-made channels cut across the natural hydrology of East Sand Creek and McNally Creek, reflecting the historical engineering required to move water across the Continental Divide or between basins. Wide open meadows and parks, such as Shipman Park and Housmer Park, provide breaks in the topography near Ute Pass. Along the southern edge, the Canadian River flows near Williams Draw, while the northern reaches are fed by the many-forked headwaters of La Garde Creek and Grace Creek.