Map of Lee Vining, California by USGS, 1992: Mono Lake, Tioga Pass & Inyo National Forest
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1995 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in Australia
Restored from the original 1995 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
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If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
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Published in 1995 from 1992 cartographic work, the “Lee Vining Quadrangle” presents one of the most dramatic thresholds in eastern California: the...
Continue readingPublished in 1995 from 1992 cartographic work, the “Lee Vining Quadrangle” presents one of the most dramatic thresholds in eastern California: the meeting place of the Mono Basin and the high Sierra Nevada. Prepared by the United States Geological Survey at the precise 1:24,000 scale, this provisional topographic map captures Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and the surrounding uplands with the disciplined clarity for which USGS mapping is renowned. Its dense contouring immediately conveys a landscape in motion—basin floors, volcanic deposits, steep mountain fronts, and ascending routes toward Tioga Pass. Blue water symbols and green vegetation tinting give structure to the terrain, while roads, trails, and public-land boundaries reveal a region shaped by both wilderness and passage.
Lee Vining appears on the map as a small but significant settlement at the western edge of Mono Lake, long valued as a gateway between the austere beauty of the Great Basin and the alpine world of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. U.S. Route 395, the great north–south artery of the eastern Sierra, anchors the human geography of the sheet, linking the town with neighboring communities, recreation areas, and historic travel corridors. From Lee Vining, the terrain rises sharply westward, a fact made vivid by the close-set contours that climb toward Tioga Pass, Mount Dana, and Mount Gibbs. Few maps so succinctly express the contrast between settled basin margins and the imposing mountain wall beyond.
Mono Lake and the Mono Basin lend the map much of its historical and environmental resonance. This ancient saline lake, famous for its otherworldly tufa towers and immense importance to migratory birds, has been at the center of one of California’s defining water controversies. By the late twentieth century, when this map was prepared, conservation efforts had brought renewed attention to the lake’s falling levels and ecological fragility. The USGS treatment of the basin is characteristically understated yet revealing: shorelines, drainages, alluvial fans, pumice fields, and basin contours quietly tell the story of volcanic origins, arid-climate hydrology, and the delicate balance between natural systems and human demand.
The mountainous western portion of the quadrangle is especially compelling, with contour lines forming a finely engraved portrait of Sierra Nevada relief. Around Tioga Pass, Mount Dana, and Mount Gibbs, the map shows the abrupt transition from sagebrush basin to high alpine terrain, where glacially carved valleys, steep slopes, and exposed ridgelines dominate the landscape. Nearby features such as Pumice Valley and Koyukon Valley point to the region’s volcanic and geomorphic complexity, reminders that the eastern Sierra is not merely a mountain front but a zone of faulting, eruption, erosion, and uplift. Trails and roads thread through this challenging country, suggesting both the difficulty and allure of access.
As a provisional USGS map, the Lee Vining sheet has a particular documentary appeal: it reflects an era when topographic mapping combined rigorous field-derived geography with evolving late-twentieth-century production methods. It records a landscape increasingly shaped by recreation, conservation, and heritage tourism, from the Inyo National Forest and Mono Basin Scenic Area to the broader draw of Yosemite’s eastern entrance and the ghost-town legacy of Bodie State Historic Park to the north. The map’s restrained design rewards close reading, translating a famous California landscape into contours, symbols, and place names. For collectors, it is a precise and evocative portrait of one of the American West’s most striking natural crossroads.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Lee Vining
- Mono Lake
- Mono Basin
- Scenic Area
- Pumice Valley
- Tioga Pass
- Mount Dana
- Mount Gibbs
- Koyukon Valley
- Inyo National Forest
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Mono County
- Various trails and roads, including U.S. Route 395
- Geological formations and features marking distinct elevations and landscapes
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Lee Vining, California, and its surroundings.
- Classified as a provisional map.
- Created in 1992, with a publication imprint in 1995.
- Published by the US Geological Survey, known for authoritative topographical and geological surveys of the United States.
- Features detailed contour lines and shading to illustrate the region’s topography.
- Uses blue and green hues to highlight water features and vegetation.
- Shows varied elevation, mountainous terrain, and valley features associated with the Sierra Nevada region.
- Reflects a region shaped by natural and human influences, including tourism growth connected to Mono Lake and access to nearby natural parks.
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.
Published in 1995 from 1992 cartographic work, the “Lee Vining Quadrangle” presents one of the most dramatic thresholds in eastern California: the meeting place of the Mono Basin and the high Sierra Nevada. Prepared by the United States Geological Survey at the precise 1:24,000 scale, this provisional topographic map captures Lee Vining, Mono Lake, and the surrounding uplands with the disciplined clarity for which USGS mapping is renowned. Its dense contouring immediately conveys a landscape in motion—basin floors, volcanic deposits, steep mountain fronts, and ascending routes toward Tioga Pass. Blue water symbols and green vegetation tinting give structure to the terrain, while roads, trails, and public-land boundaries reveal a region shaped by both wilderness and passage.
Lee Vining appears on the map as a small but significant settlement at the western edge of Mono Lake, long valued as a gateway between the austere beauty of the Great Basin and the alpine world of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. U.S. Route 395, the great north–south artery of the eastern Sierra, anchors the human geography of the sheet, linking the town with neighboring communities, recreation areas, and historic travel corridors. From Lee Vining, the terrain rises sharply westward, a fact made vivid by the close-set contours that climb toward Tioga Pass, Mount Dana, and Mount Gibbs. Few maps so succinctly express the contrast between settled basin margins and the imposing mountain wall beyond.
Mono Lake and the Mono Basin lend the map much of its historical and environmental resonance. This ancient saline lake, famous for its otherworldly tufa towers and immense importance to migratory birds, has been at the center of one of California’s defining water controversies. By the late twentieth century, when this map was prepared, conservation efforts had brought renewed attention to the lake’s falling levels and ecological fragility. The USGS treatment of the basin is characteristically understated yet revealing: shorelines, drainages, alluvial fans, pumice fields, and basin contours quietly tell the story of volcanic origins, arid-climate hydrology, and the delicate balance between natural systems and human demand.
The mountainous western portion of the quadrangle is especially compelling, with contour lines forming a finely engraved portrait of Sierra Nevada relief. Around Tioga Pass, Mount Dana, and Mount Gibbs, the map shows the abrupt transition from sagebrush basin to high alpine terrain, where glacially carved valleys, steep slopes, and exposed ridgelines dominate the landscape. Nearby features such as Pumice Valley and Koyukon Valley point to the region’s volcanic and geomorphic complexity, reminders that the eastern Sierra is not merely a mountain front but a zone of faulting, eruption, erosion, and uplift. Trails and roads thread through this challenging country, suggesting both the difficulty and allure of access.
As a provisional USGS map, the Lee Vining sheet has a particular documentary appeal: it reflects an era when topographic mapping combined rigorous field-derived geography with evolving late-twentieth-century production methods. It records a landscape increasingly shaped by recreation, conservation, and heritage tourism, from the Inyo National Forest and Mono Basin Scenic Area to the broader draw of Yosemite’s eastern entrance and the ghost-town legacy of Bodie State Historic Park to the north. The map’s restrained design rewards close reading, translating a famous California landscape into contours, symbols, and place names. For collectors, it is a precise and evocative portrait of one of the American West’s most striking natural crossroads.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Lee Vining
- Mono Lake
- Mono Basin
- Scenic Area
- Pumice Valley
- Tioga Pass
- Mount Dana
- Mount Gibbs
- Koyukon Valley
- Inyo National Forest
- Bodie State Historic Park
- Mono County
- Various trails and roads, including U.S. Route 395
- Geological formations and features marking distinct elevations and landscapes
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Lee Vining, California, and its surroundings.
- Classified as a provisional map.
- Created in 1992, with a publication imprint in 1995.
- Published by the US Geological Survey, known for authoritative topographical and geological surveys of the United States.
- Features detailed contour lines and shading to illustrate the region’s topography.
- Uses blue and green hues to highlight water features and vegetation.
- Shows varied elevation, mountainous terrain, and valley features associated with the Sierra Nevada region.
- Reflects a region shaped by natural and human influences, including tourism growth connected to Mono Lake and access to nearby natural parks.
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
We work with interior designers, hospitality businesses, property professionals, offices and corporate buyers on individual pieces and larger coordinated projects.
This map can be adapted for a particular wall, room or project, and our workshop can help coordinate the dimensions, material and framing before production.
- Exact, oversized and made-to-measure dimensions
- Custom framing, mounting and alternative materials
- Coordinated pieces for several rooms or locations
- Map personalisation, to mark important locations or add extra details
- Map and framing guidance from our workshop
- Local production for projects around the world
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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