Loading map...

2012 Map of Whale Peak

Name: 2012 Topographic Map of Whale Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2012
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2012

About this map

Whale Peak serves as the dominant landmark for this portion of San Diego County, surveying a landscape of desert bajadas and deep canyons. The network of drainage systems, including Pinyon Wash, Nolina Wash, and Bisnaga Alta Wash, illustrates the erosional forces that have shaped this arid environment over millennia. The presence of Blue Spring suggests a critical water source in a territory defined by high-elevation flats like Harper Flat and Hapaha Flat.

The map reveals an area defined by its geomorphology, from the alluvial Mescal Bajada in the north to the Pinyon Mountains in the south. Named landmarks such as Split Rock and the various canyons like Mine Canyon and Bighorn Canyon provide essential waypoints for understanding the topography. This survey captures the complex drainage patterns and natural features of the region as they were recorded at the beginning of the twenty-first century.