2001 Map of Zapata Ranch

About this map

The Great Sand Dunes National Park dominates this landscape at the western foot of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. This revision, updated just after the turn of the millennium, shows the complex boundary where the shifting Sand Dunes meet the rigid peaks of the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness. The Zapata Ranch stands as a primary landmark in the southwest, while the remote Uraca Cem and several unnamed flowing wells hint at the area's agricultural and pioneer history. Water is a defining force here, with Medano Creek and Mosca Creek skirting the dune fields, and alpine drainage like Middle Zapata Creek Lake perched high in the eastern ridges. The map details a landscape of transition, from the valley floor at Pinyon Flats to the steep relief of North Zapata Ridge and Sheep Ridge.