Issued by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1914, this panoramic view distills the drama of Rocky Mountain National Park into an arresting, full-color tableau. With shaded relief in place of contour lines, slopes gleam and valleys deepen, imparting a lifelike sense of altitude and distance across the Continental Divide. The perspective sweeps from the eastern foothills toward the alpine crest, allowing the viewer to trace rivers, tarns, and cirques through a landscape rendered with painterly precision. Educational in intent yet unabashedly beautiful, the composition invites study as much as admiration, capturing the park’s signature union of granite spires, glacial basins, and forested amphitheaters that had already begun to captivate a nation.

Historically, this map sits at a turning point: created on the eve of the park’s establishment in 1915 and just ahead of the National Park Service’s founding in 1916. It reflects the early conservation ethos championed by naturalists such as Enos Mills and underscores the USGS’s pivotal role in translating scientific understanding into public appreciation. Part of a broader campaign to document America’s great reserves, it helped shape the visual language by which national parks were introduced to the public—less as surveyed tracts than as cathedrals of nature—thereby strengthening popular support for enduring protection and guiding policy in the nascent era of federal stewardship.

The east face is anchored by Longs Peak and Mount Meeker, whose granite ramparts command the composition. The artist’s relief modeling teases out ledges, chimneys, and shelves that hint at the famed Keyhole Route, while Chasm Lake rests in its sculpted cirque below. Around them, beloved precincts—Bear Lake’s mirror stillness, Glacier Gorge’s ice-carved corridors, and the tumbling plume of Alberta Falls—are presented in clear, readable form. In Moraine Park’s broad meadow, the very moraines that give it name are legible in the color gradients, and Estes Park appears as the hospitable gateway to the high country, with Gem Lake and Hollowell Park tucked into the foothill folds.

The composition follows the spine of the Continental Divide across high alpine tundra, tracing ridgelines and basins into the park’s southern and western reaches. The ridge later famed for Trail Ridge Road is shown as an airy skyline, while Wild Basin unfurls as a sanctuary of hanging valleys, with Ouzel and Lion Lakes stepping upward toward Timberline Falls. Westward, Spirit Lake glints among dark conifers, a counterpoint to the park’s bright eastern waters. Rivers and cascades, tinted in cool complementary hues, thread the scene, quietly narrating the park’s glacial past and hydrologic present, and offering a geographical coherence that rewards both casual viewing and sustained study.

Art and science meet in the map’s cartographic language. Color gradients relay elevation intuitively—golden tundra cresting into snowfields, evergreen belts deepening into shadowed canyons—while the shaded relief imparts a sculptural tactility that conventional contours cannot. A handsomely lettered title and cartouche frame the scene, and a discreet legend clarifies scale without breaking the illusion of depth. This balance made the work an effective teaching tool for classrooms and an irresistible ambassador for wilderness tourism. More than a guide, it is a manifesto in image form: a celebration of American mountains at the very moment the country resolved to keep them wild, and a touchstone for collectors who value beauty with consequence.

Places on this map

• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Longs Peak
• Bear Lake
• Moraine Park
• Trail Ridge Road
• Alberta Falls
• Glacier Gorge
• Wild Basin
• Spirit Lake
• Estes Park
• The Continental Divide
• Timberline Falls
• Flatirons
• Chasm Lake
• Gem Lake
• Hollowell Park
• Mount Meeker
• Ouzel Lake
• Keyhole Route
• Lion Lake

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Shaded relief techniques illustrating landforms.
• Color gradients representing elevation and terrain.
• Illustrative features such as mountains and valleys.
• Artistic embellishments enhancing the visual appeal.
• Likely representation of key trails or routes (not explicitly labeled).
• Rivers and water bodies rendered in a complementary color scheme.
• The title prominently displayed, along with a cartouche.
• Legend indicating map scale.

Historical and design context

• Date of creation: 1914.
• Mapmaker/publisher: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a U.S. government scientific agency known for mapping and surveying expertise.
• This map features a vibrant full-color illustration capturing the beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park.
• It employs shaded relief techniques to convey three-dimensional qualities without using contour lines.
• Part of a series dedicated to national parks, highlighting the park's significance and grandeur.
• Intended for educational purposes and aesthetic appreciation, allowing viewers to appreciate the majestic scenery.
• Focus on the artistic representation of topography without precise measurement.
• The use of color and shading creates a visually engaging representation of the landscape.
• Artistic elements enhance the cartographic representation, making it more accessible to public appreciation.
• Reflects early 20th-century efforts to document and promote national parks.
• Represents an era of increased public interest in conservation and natural beauty, contributing to the development of national park policies.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

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.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

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 most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.