Published in 2001 from data dated 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Bridgton” presents a finely detailed topographical portrait of one of western Maine’s most appealing lake-and-mountain landscapes. Issued at the standard 1:24,000 scale, the map belongs to the USGS’s respected quadrangle tradition, a system designed to render the American landscape with scientific precision and practical clarity. Its “Provisional” classification gives it particular documentary interest, reflecting an early 21st-century moment in which geographic information, land use, road networks, and mapped settlement patterns were still being refined. Centered on Bridgton, the map captures a town shaped by water, upland terrain, and recreational access, balancing civic geography with the surrounding natural drama of Cumberland County.

Bridgton itself appears as the principal populated place, its streets, roads, landmarks, and nearby structures set within a terrain of lakes, ponds, ridges, and wooded elevations. The town has long served as a gateway to Maine’s western interior, where old routes, seasonal recreation, and small-town settlement meet. Nearby Harrison extends the human geography of the sheet, while roads and trails trace the connective tissue between villages, lakefronts, hillsides, and recreational areas. As a topographical map, it does not merely name places; it explains their relationship to the land. The viewer can read how settlement favors gentler ground, how roads negotiate slopes and wetlands, and how the region’s communities are inseparable from the lakes and uplands that surround them.

The hydrology of the Bridgton area is one of the map’s great pleasures. Crystal Lake, Long Lake, Upper Range Pond, Lower Range Pond, Moose Pond, and Loon Lake form a constellation of blue across the sheet, each contributing to the region’s identity as a landscape of water, reflection, and recreation. The Crooked River, true to its name, threads through the surrounding country as part of the drainage network linking ponds, lakes, lowlands, and wooded corridors. The map’s clear distinction between land and water makes these features immediately legible, while also revealing their subtler geographic roles. Shorelines, outlets, coves, and adjacent roads show how natural beauty, settlement, and access have long developed together in this Maine lake district.

The topographic character is rendered with 20-foot contour intervals, allowing the eye to follow every rise, hollow, shoulder, and descent with remarkable sensitivity. Pleasant Mountain, one of the defining landforms of the area, anchors the upland drama of the map, its slopes and surrounding contours showing the vertical contrast that makes the Bridgton region so distinctive. These contour lines transform the sheet from a simple location guide into a visual model of the terrain, useful for understanding trails, watersheds, scenic overlooks, and the siting of roads or structures. In the USGS style, the beauty lies in disciplined clarity: elevation, water, transportation, and settlement are layered into a coherent portrait of place.

As a record of early 21st-century geography, “Bridgton” preserves a moment in the evolving landscape of western Maine. Land cover, development patterns, recreational infrastructure, and local roads may have changed since its publication, giving the map value as both a navigational document and a historical snapshot. The USGS, heir to more than a century of American scientific mapping, brought to such quadrangles a distinctive blend of field survey, cartographic standardization, and public utility. Here that tradition is applied to a region beloved for lakeside cottages, mountain views, forests, trails, and village life. The result is a richly informative map that captures Bridgton not as an isolated town, but as the center of a beautifully interwoven natural and human landscape.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bridgton
• Harrison
• Crystal Lake
• Long Lake
• The Crooked River
• Pleasant Mountain
• Upper Range Pond
• Lower Range Pond
• Moose Pond
• Loon Lake
• Various roads and trails
• Nearby parks and recreational areas
• Notable landmarks and structures in Bridgton

Historical context & cartographic details

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographical map of Bridgton, Maine, and its surroundings
• Dated 2000 and published in 2001
• Classified as a provisional map
• Scale of 1:24,000
• Features detailed topographic contour lines indicating elevation changes
• Shows water bodies with a clear visual distinction between land and water
• Contour intervals are set at 20 feet
• Reflects early 21st-century land use and geographic data
• Development patterns and land cover may have changed since publication

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.