Published by the U.S. Geological Survey as “Jemez Springs,” this 1952 topographical map, carrying a 1969 imprint, presents one of northern New Mexico’s most dramatic volcanic landscapes at the detailed 1:62,500 scale. Centered on the village of Jemez Springs, the map captures a mid-twentieth-century view of the canyons, forests, rivers, and high country that define the Jemez Mountains. Its contour lines sweep tightly across rugged slopes, opening into broader valleys and mesas, translating the region’s steep relief into a precise cartographic language. More than a navigational document, it is a scientific portrait of a landscape shaped by ancient volcanism, erosion, watercourses, and human passage through a remote yet culturally resonant corner of New Mexico.

The USGS brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its topographic sheets indispensable to geologists, engineers, foresters, hikers, and planners across the United States. Established in 1879, the agency became the national authority on mapping the country’s landforms, mineral resources, and hydrology, producing maps that combined rigorous field survey with elegant visual economy. Here, elevation markers, drainage patterns, roads, forest boundaries, and settlement names are all arranged with understated precision. The result is both technical and evocative: a map that allows the viewer to read the land almost as one might read a relief model, following ridgelines, canyon walls, river corridors, and the gradual transitions between inhabited valleys and public forest.

Jemez Springs itself sits along the Jemez River, where water and geology have long shaped patterns of settlement, travel, and recreation. The map traces the corridor through Cañon de San Diego and Cañon de Jemez, showing how the river carves a natural passage through steep volcanic terrain. State Highway 4 follows this same logic, threading through the canyon landscape and connecting communities such as Jemez Springs and La Cueva with forest camps, trailheads, and mountain roads. Nearby features including the San Antonio River, Rio Cebolla, and Cañon Bonito add to the sense of a richly dissected watershed, where every drainage and contour interval reveals the power of water acting over time.

To the north and east, the map opens into the higher country of the Santa Fe National Forest, with the Valles Caldera region and Redondo Peak among the defining landmarks of the broader landscape. Valle Grande, one of the great open valleys of the caldera, evokes the immense volcanic history of the Jemez Mountains, where collapsed magma chambers, lava flows, and uplifted rims produced scenery of unusual grandeur. The careful contouring around these uplands conveys both scale and drama: rounded summits, steep escarpments, forested slopes, and meadowed basins are all rendered in fine topographic detail. Names such as Pajarito Mountain, La Jara Camp, and Caldera Rim Road further situate the map within a terrain of exploration, forestry, and mountain travel.

As a historical document, this map offers a valuable mid-century snapshot of northern New Mexico before later growth, expanded recreation infrastructure, and changing land-use patterns altered the region’s appearance. Camps, roads, forest routes, reservoirs, and small settlements appear in relation to the enduring geography of the Jemez Mountains, allowing modern viewers to compare past and present across a landscape that remains geologically restless and culturally layered. Its appeal lies in that combination of scientific exactitude and frontier atmosphere: the measured lines of the USGS meeting hot springs, canyons, conifer forests, volcanic basins, and mountain roads. For collectors of New Mexico, Southwestern geology, or classic American topographic cartography, “Jemez Springs” is a richly informative and quietly beautiful map.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Jemez Springs
• Santa Fe National Forest
• Redondo Peak
• Valles Caldera
• San Antonio River
• La Cueva
• Gila Wilderness
• Cañon de San Diego
• Cañon de Jemez
• Nacimiento Mountains
• Valle Grande
• Mount Taylor
• Bonito River
• Ponderosa Camp
• Carrizozo
• Cañon del Rio
• Fenton Lake
• Cañon Bonito
• Rio Cebolla
• La Jara Camp
• Pajarito Mountain
• Caldera Rim Road
• Jemez River
• State Highway 4
• Forest Road 10
• Santa Fe Reservoir
• La Cueva Campground

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:62,500 topographical map shows Jemez Springs in New Mexico and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1952 and carries a 1969 imprint.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, a prominent scientific agency of the U.S. government known for its extensive mapping and geological studies.
• Exhibits standard USGS topographic cartographic elements such as contour lines, elevation markers, and detailed representations of physical features.
• Features varied elevations and contour lines that indicate the terrain’s topography, characteristic of mountainous regions.
• Provides insight into the landscape as it appeared in mid-20th century New Mexico, showcasing changes in land use and population developments over time.
• The visual representation of contour lines highlights the rugged terrain characteristic of New Mexico’s mountainous areas.

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.