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2002 Map of Sweetgrass Butte

Name: 2002 Topographic Map of Sweetgrass Butte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2006
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2006

About this map

Sweetgrass Ridge and Isabella Ridge dominate this high-altitude section of the Okanogan National Forest, where the topography is defined by the sharp divides between drainage basins. The northern reach of the map transitions into the Pasayten Wilderness, a protected area where human infrastructure is limited to the wilderness boundary and rugged high-country summits like Sherman Peak and Sunrise Peak.

Tracing the hydrological pattern reveals a network of steep drainages, including Eightmile Creek and Panther Creek, which feed into the larger regional watershed. Evidence of remote land use appears at Vanderpool Crossing and the Sweetgrass Communication Tower atop Sweetgrass Butte. Small-scale resource extraction is noted by a Gravel Pit and an Adit, while the presence of the Ninth Standard Parallel North indicates the underlying geometric surveying that organized this mountain landscape. High-altitude passes such as Banker Pass and Cub Pass mark the traditional transit points across these Cascades heights.