Rio Blanco County stretches across northwestern Colorado from Rangely in the west to Meeker and much higher country in the east. The maps on this page show county roads and boundaries, the two main towns, the White River system, lakes and reservoirs, and the county’s strong elevation contrast. Download the high-resolution JPG originals together in the ZIP below when you need larger files for printing, close inspection, or offline reference.
A useful way to orient yourself is to start with Meeker and Rangely. The city map highlights those two places as the county’s main towns, while the general map shows that they are separated by a broad interior of valleys, ridges, and plateaus. From Meeker eastward, roads and streams enter increasingly rugged terrain; around Rangely, the landscape is generally lower and more open.
Table of Contents
Meeker and Rangely define the county’s east–west layout
The county map makes Rio Blanco County’s long east–west shape immediately clear. Rangely sits near the western side, while Meeker lies well to the east in the White River valley. Labels such as Angora and Thornburgh, along with numbered roads near both towns, help break the large county into recognizable parts. Around Meeker, several routes converge, whereas the western road network spreads through lower valleys and rolling terrain near Rangely.
The southern boundary steps through several straight segments rather than forming one simple line, and the eastern side reaches into more rugged mountain country. Neighboring county names shown around the map provide extra orientation in northwestern Colorado. This general map is useful for understanding county-scale geography, but it should not be treated as a parcel survey or a legal-boundary document.
Two town centers separated by a broad interior
The city map focuses on Meeker and Rangely rather than presenting a dense chain of urban places. Meeker appears in the east-central part of the county, while Rangely is far to the west. That separation is one of the most important geographic facts on the map: Rio Blanco County is not organized around one continuous metro corridor, but around two town centers with a large rural landscape between them.
County names around the edge of the city map also help show where the two towns sit within the wider region. Once you have located Meeker and Rangely here, the general county map becomes easier to read because you can connect each town to the surrounding roads and valleys. This is especially useful when comparing the lower western part of the county with the steeper terrain east of Meeker.
White River headwaters, tributaries, lakes, and reservoirs
The waterways map is centered on the White River. In the eastern part of the county, the North Fork White River and South Fork White River descend through mountain valleys before joining the larger river system. Nearby water features include Marvine Lake, Gilley Lake, Wyman Reservoir, Pagoda Lake, Sand Lake, and Haley Reservoir. Their distribution matches the rugged terrain visible beneath the blue water lines.
Farther west and south, Piceance Creek, Yellow Creek, and East Douglas Creek form additional drainage routes across the county. Rio Blanco Lake is labeled among the western-central waterways. The map is best used to understand how rivers, tributaries, lakes, and landforms fit together; it is not a flood-risk map, a navigation chart, or a water-rights boundary product.
Elevation rises sharply toward the eastern high country
The elevation map reports an actual county range of about 1,543 to 3,644 meters, with a mean near 2,203 meters. Lower terrain dominates much of the west and the major river valleys. The eastern end of the county, by contrast, contains broad areas of much higher ground, shown in warmer colors and broken by steep valleys and ridges.
This contrast explains several patterns seen on the other maps. Rangely lies in comparatively lower terrain, while the country east of Meeker climbs toward mountain headwaters where streams split into numerous branches. Comparing the elevation and waterways maps makes the relationship between high ridges, narrow valleys, and White River tributaries much easier to see. The elevation surface is county-scale reference information, not survey-grade or engineering-grade measurement.
Which Rio Blanco County map is best for your question?
Use the general county map when you need the overall boundary, roads, and named places. The city map is faster when your main question is the position of Meeker relative to Rangely. The terrain and water map is the best choice for following the White River, its forks, tributary creeks, and labeled lakes, while the elevation map is useful for comparing the lower western landscape with the high country in the east.
The maps become more informative when used in pairs. For example, the county map shows how roads leave Meeker, while the elevation map explains why routes and streams become more constrained in the eastern mountains. Around Rangely, the general and elevation maps together show a broader, lower setting. Switching between maps this way keeps the focus on Rio Blanco County’s actual geography instead of treating every map as a separate inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to locate Meeker and Rangely?
Start with the city map, which isolates the two principal towns. Meeker is shown in the east-central part of the county and Rangely near the west side. Then switch to the general county map to see the roads and broad rural landscape that separate them.
Which map is best for White River headwaters and mountain lakes?
The terrain and water map is the most useful choice. It labels the White River, North Fork and South Fork White River, Piceance Creek, Yellow Creek, and several lakes and reservoirs while also showing the relief that shapes those waterways.
Can the elevation map be used for surveying or engineering?
No. It is a county-scale view for comparing relative elevation across a range of about 1,543 to 3,644 meters. Site-specific construction, road design, or surveying work requires authoritative elevation data and professional measurements.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the high-resolution JPG originals for the county, city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps shown on this page. Use the larger files when you need more detail than the WebP previews provide.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Rio Blanco County official website – county services and local information for Meeker and Rangely
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundaries, roads, and geographic reference data
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, streams, lakes, and water features
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain reference 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.
