Loading map...

2014 Map of Slickhorn Canyon West

Name: 2014 Topographic Map of Slickhorn Canyon West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2014
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2014

About this map

The San Juan River carves a deep, winding path through this corner of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, creating a dramatic landscape of isolated mesas and sharp-walled gulches. This desert topography is defined by the massive Grand Gulch and Slickhorn Canyon, which feed into the river's entrenched course. These canyons serve as natural conduits through the high country, where the vast Grand Flat and Polly Mesa provide wide, level benches above the drainage systems.

Navigational landmarks for those on the river include the turbulent Slickhorn Rapids and Government Rapids, while those on the heights look to features like Shaw Arch and the distinctive Government Bird Rock. The map illustrates the transition from the river basin into the San Juan Valley and the northern reaches of Monument Valley, showing a landscape where water and wind have shaped the sandstone into a complex network of pastures and mesas.