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1968 Map of Winter Flats

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Winter Flats
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

South Shale Ridge dominates this high-altitude landscape on the border of Garfield and Mesa counties, where a complex network of canyons and gulches drains toward the south. The terrain is defined by the massive drainage systems of Main Canyon and Pine Gulch, which slice through the elevated plateau. A single Drill Hole in the center of the ridge provides evidence of geological exploration in an otherwise non-industrial wilderness.

Mapping reveals a distinct lack of permanent settlement, characterized instead by a system of seasonal trails and jeep trails that connect features like Coon Hollow and Winter Flats. The proliferation of named water features, from the South Fork Dry Wash to Little Alkali Canyon, indicates a landscape where water access dictated the naming of every major geographical depression, crucial for navigation and land use in this arid portion of the Western Slope.