2012 Map of Upper Powder Spring

About this map

Upper Powder Spring and Lower Powder Spring define the drainage patterns of this high-desert landscape in Sweetwater County, where water management is central to the land's utility. The area is defined by a network of catchments and stock improvements, including Miserable Reservoir, Adobe Butte Reservoir, and Washout Reservoir, many of which sit along ephemeral channels like Skull Cr. The presence of the Shell Creek Stock Trl and Co Rd 82 highlights the historical and ongoing importance of livestock movement through this corridor. Rising above the draws, the Skull Creek Rim provides a significant topographic break, overlooking a territory that, despite its sparse population, shows a highly engineered approach to seasonal water storage for ranching and wildlife near the Wyoming and Colorado border.