2018 Map of Van Arsdale Reservoir

About this map

Van Arsdale Reservoir and the winding course of the Eel River anchor this topographic study of the Mendocino and Lake County borderlands. The landscape is defined by the high elevations of the Mendocino National Forest, where peaks like Sanhedrin Mtn, High Peak, and Pine Mtn rise above a series of named flats and clearings. Historically, these remote pockets provided space for settlement and resource extraction, documented through names like Deadmans Flat, Jordan Flat, and Big Openings. The map traces a complex network of forest routes and historic pathways, including the Van Arsdale Pillsbury road and the Old Ukiah Pines Rd, which speak to the area's legacy of logging and backcountry transit. From the drainage of Tule Lake in the north to the meadows of Montgomery Glade in the south, the sheet provides a detailed accounting of the land's rugged character and its sparse, high-country outposts.