Izard County in north-central Arkansas is a landscape of short ridges, narrow creek valleys, and widely separated communities. Melbourne sits near the center-south of the county, Horseshoe Bend occupies the northeastern side, and Calico Rock and Pineville lie much farther west. The northern part contains the Strawberry River and several named lakes, while the elevation map shows repeated uplands and valleys across nearly the entire county. This page covers communities, roads, waterways, and an actual elevation range of about 85 to 339 meters. You can download the same four maps as high-resolution JPG files in one ZIP.
Melbourne is the easiest starting point for the general map because several labeled roads meet near the town and the other major communities spread out in different directions. Oxford lies to the north, Horseshoe Bend and Franklin are to the northeast, Mount Pleasant is southeast, and Calico Rock and Pineville are far to the west. The settlement pattern is not concentrated along one straight corridor, so it helps to identify these directions first and then follow the road and water networks around them.
Table of Contents
Follow the county outward from Melbourne toward Oxford and Calico Rock
Routes 69, 58, and 289 are among the clearest road labels around Melbourne. From there, the map extends north toward Oxford and west toward the Calico Rock-Pineville side. Route 56 crosses the western interior, while Routes 177 and 223 appear around Pineville. Route 5 reaches the far western edge. Instead of memorizing every number, first follow the broad directions from Melbourne and use the nearby town names to understand which part of the county each route serves.
The northeastern road pattern looks different. Horseshoe Bend occupies a larger developed area near the county’s northeastern projection, and Route 354 follows the northern side before connecting back toward Oxford. Franklin and Violet Hill sit between the Horseshoe Bend area and Melbourne, providing useful intermediate landmarks. Farther southeast toward Mount Pleasant, roads become more widely spaced and the terrain is cut by many smaller valleys. The map therefore shifts gradually from the central road hub into several distinct outer areas.
The county boundary is especially irregular on the west and south. Large curves appear south of Calico Rock and continue toward the Guion side, while the southeastern edge ends in a pointed projection. The north and east contain longer straight segments. County labels outside the boundary include Fulton, Sharp, Independence, Stone, and Baxter counties, giving enough context to place Izard County within north-central Arkansas without turning the map into a statewide view.
The ranked city map spreads six major communities across the county
The city map ranks six major communities. Horseshoe Bend is number 1, Melbourne 2, Calico Rock 3, Oxford 4, Mount Pleasant 5, and Pineville 6. These numbers are ranking markers, not distance labels. Their locations are widely separated: Horseshoe Bend is northeast, Melbourne is near the center-south, Calico Rock and Pineville are west, Oxford is north, and Mount Pleasant is southeast. The distribution makes clear that Izard County does not have one single line of settlement.
Comparing the city view with the general map adds useful terrain and road context. Melbourne is close to several road junctions, while Calico Rock and Pineville sit near the deeply curved western boundary and lower creek valleys. Horseshoe Bend occupies the northeastern side close to several named lakes, and Mount Pleasant lies in a quieter southeastern upland area. The city map is therefore most useful for orientation before switching back to the detailed road, water, and elevation views.
The legend also includes numeric values beside the ranked city names, but this article does not reinterpret those figures as current population estimates. The supplied map clearly supports the ranking and geographic position of the six communities, so those are the facts used here. Anyone needing current population totals should check a recent Census source rather than treating the simplified legend as a current demographic table.
Strawberry River and smaller creeks cut through the northern hills
The Strawberry River is the most prominent named waterway in the northern part of the terrain and water map. It bends across the north and northeast through a landscape of short ridges and branching tributaries. Pioneer Lake, Lodge Lake, and Crown Lake are clustered in the northeastern area, making them useful landmarks near the Horseshoe Bend side of the county. Moving from the city map to the water map makes the relationship between those settlements and the northern drainage much easier to see.
The western and central parts of the county contain several other named creeks. Piney Creek follows a long valley in the northwest, while Barren Creek and Moccasin Creek are labeled farther west. Knob Creek runs through the central interior and approaches Mill Creek, which extends toward the lower western boundary. These streams are smaller than the Strawberry River, but they reveal how densely the uplands are cut by valleys. The water map is most informative when the creeks are viewed as parts of a connected hill-and-valley landscape rather than as isolated names.
Gillihan Lake is labeled in the east-central part of the county, with Piney Fork farther southeast. Rocky Bay and additional small channels appear toward the southern edge, and Norfork Lake is visible outside the county in the northwest as a regional reference. Izard County does not contain one huge lake dominating the map. Instead, smaller lakes and a dense creek network are spread across rolling terrain, especially in the north and east.
This terrain and water map is intended for general geographic reference. It does not provide current stream stage, flood risk, fishing regulations, property boundaries, or live road access. Conditions on the Strawberry River and smaller creeks can change with rainfall. For recreation, flooding, or safety decisions, use current information from USGS or the agency responsible for the specific waterway.
Elevation ranges from about 85 to 339 meters across repeated ridges and valleys
The supplied elevation map shows an actual countywide range of about 85 to 339 meters, with a mean near 200 meters. That is roughly 254 meters of relief within Izard County. Brown and tan uplands cover much of the north and center, while lower green valleys cut through the western side and parts of the south. The northeast also contains a complicated mix of short ridges and low channels rather than one continuous high block.
The Calico Rock and Pineville side shows strong local variation, with lower green valleys lying immediately beside higher ridges. Around Melbourne, the landscape is still rolling but the upland and valley pattern is somewhat broader. Farther north toward Oxford and Horseshoe Bend, short ridges continue to branch around the Strawberry River and smaller tributaries. Comparing the water and elevation maps makes it clear that Piney Creek, Knob Creek, and other streams generally occupy the lower corridors between higher ground.
The southern edge also contains alternating high and low terrain, and several elongated ridges run through the Mount Pleasant side in the southeast. The county is therefore better described as a repeated hill-and-valley landscape than as one flat side and one mountainous side. The elevation image is intended for county-scale comparison, not survey-grade measurement. Exact parcel, road, building, or engineering elevations require original elevation data or a professional survey.
Compare the western valleys with the Horseshoe Bend side from Melbourne
A practical way to use the four maps together is to begin at Melbourne and compare two directions. Moving west toward Calico Rock and Pineville brings you toward the county’s deeply curved boundary and a dense set of creek valleys around Piney Creek and Mill Creek. Moving northeast toward Horseshoe Bend leads toward the Strawberry River and a cluster of named lakes. The contrast is not simply high versus low terrain; it is a difference in how settlements, roads, and water features are arranged within the same rolling county.
The southeastern Mount Pleasant side provides a third useful comparison. Roads are more widely spaced, settlements are smaller, and long ridges are cut by narrow tributary valleys. North toward Oxford, the road corridor crosses another series of rolling uplands before reaching the northern drainage. Looking at the same location on the general, water, and elevation maps is much easier than trying to memorize every road and stream separately.
High-resolution JPG files for roads, waterways, and elevation detail
The WebP images in the article are optimized for quick page viewing. The download ZIP contains the same four maps as high-resolution JPG files, each measuring 3638 × 2572 pixels in landscape orientation. Use the general map for communities and roads, the city map for the ranked distribution of six major places, the terrain and water map for Strawberry River, creeks, and lakes, and the elevation map for comparing the county’s many ridges and low valleys.
The JPG files are suitable for classroom reference, presentations, trip preparation, personal printing, and general orientation. They should not replace legal boundary records, parcel surveys, flood studies, engineering plans, or live navigation. When exact or current information is required, consult Census TIGER/Line boundaries, USGS hydrography, USGS elevation data, and the appropriate local or state source for the specific decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the numbers 1 through 6 on the city map show distances?
No. They are ranking markers for the six major communities shown on the map. Horseshoe Bend is ranked first, followed by Melbourne, Calico Rock, Oxford, Mount Pleasant, and Pineville. The numbers do not represent straight-line mileage or driving distance, so actual travel distance and time should be checked with a current road or navigation map.
Where is the Strawberry River on the Izard County map?
The Strawberry River is shown across the northern and northeastern part of the county. Pioneer Lake, Lodge Lake, and Crown Lake are nearby in the Horseshoe Bend side of the map, and several smaller tributaries join the river through surrounding valleys.
How much elevation change is shown across Izard County?
The supplied elevation map shows an actual range of about 85–339 meters with a mean near 200 meters. That is roughly 254 meters of relief, enough to produce the repeated ridges and narrow creek valleys visible across much of the county.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the general county map, ranked city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map as high-resolution JPG files for printing or offline reference.
- File Type: ZIP containing 4 JPG files
Related Maps
Sources and references
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundary and road data
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, streams, and waterbody data
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain data
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
