The USGS quadrangle titled “Grouse Mountain” offers a finely resolved portrait of Colorado’s high country around Beaver Creek, dated 1962 and carrying a 1988 imprint. At 1:24,000 scale, it captures the terrain with the intimacy and precision for which the United States Geological Survey became renowned: every ridge, drainage, slope, and elevation shift is translated into a disciplined language of contours and symbols. The map belongs to an era when federal topographic mapping was essential not only for science and land management, but also for recreation, infrastructure, and regional planning. Seen today, it documents a mountain landscape on the cusp of modern transformation, especially around Beaver Creek, now celebrated for skiing, alpine residences, and year-round outdoor pursuits.

The cartographic character of this map is defined by its close attention to relief. Dense contour lines describe the steep and broken terrain typical of the central Colorado Rockies, while shaded relief gives an immediate sense of mountain mass and slope exposure. This is a landscape shaped by elevation: high ridgelines, narrow valleys, forested drainages, and abrupt changes in grade all emerge through the USGS’s restrained but highly legible visual system. The standard topographic palette—greens for forested land, blues for water, blacks and reds for human features and routes—allows the viewer to read both nature and settlement at once. It is a map as much about vertical drama as horizontal distance.

Beaver Creek and the Eagle River corridor anchor the human geography of the map, linking the rugged mountain setting to the transportation and settlement patterns of Eagle County. The Eagle River, an important tributary of the Colorado River system, threads through a region historically associated with mining, ranching, timber, and later alpine recreation. Nearby Vail Mountain situates the map within one of America’s best-known ski landscapes, while trails such as the Gold Dust Trail evoke older routes of movement through the backcountry. These named places give the sheet a layered identity: part scientific survey, part recreational guide, and part historical record of how people entered, used, and reimagined Colorado’s mountains.

Beyond Beaver Creek, the surrounding regional landmarks deepen the map’s appeal. The White River National Forest, one of the most visited national forests in the United States, frames much of this alpine environment, encompassing vast stands of conifer, high meadows, wildlife habitat, and celebrated recreation areas. The Gore Range and Sawatch Range place the map within a broader architecture of Colorado summits, while the Mount of the Holy Cross—famed for its snow-filled cross-shaped couloir—belongs to the state’s most evocative mountain imagery. Dillon Reservoir, though farther afield in the regional context, reflects the growing importance of water storage, recreation, and urban demand in Colorado’s twentieth-century mountain development.

As a historical object, “Grouse Mountain” captures a compelling moment between remoteness and resort-era growth. In the early 1960s, much of this country was still understood through the practical vocabulary of survey lines, forest boundaries, trails, drainages, and elevation markers. By the time of the 1988 imprint, Beaver Creek and the nearby Vail area had become internationally recognized destinations, transforming the cultural and economic meaning of the landscape. The map therefore invites comparison between surveyed wilderness, managed public land, and developed alpine leisure. Its precise contours preserve the enduring physical structure of the mountains, while its place names and routes hint at the decades of change that would follow.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Beaver Creek
• Eagle River
• Vail Mountain
• Mount of the Holy Cross
• Dillon Reservoir
• White River National Forest
• Gore Range
• Gold Dust Trail
• Eagle County
• Sawatch Range
• Various contour lines and elevation markers

Historical context & cartographic details

• Titled Grouse Mountain.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map showing Beaver Creek, Colorado and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1962 with a 1988 imprint.
• Features detailed contour lines showing elevation changes.
• Includes shaded relief to depict terrain steepness.
• Uses a standard topographic color scheme for clear interpretation of landforms.
• Illustrates mountainous Colorado terrain with detailed elevation data.
• Reflects geographical references and landscape changes, including areas affected by development and urbanization from the 1960s onward.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.