Perry County lies in the steep Appalachian terrain of eastern Kentucky, with Hazard as the main settlement and road reference and Buckhorn and Vicco providing useful western and eastern anchors. Kentucky routes 15, 28, 7, 80, 267, 451, 476, 550, 699, and 463 follow narrow valleys through a county shaped by long ridges and closely spaced streams. The physical maps add the North Fork Kentucky River, Big Creek, Grapevine Creek, Buckhorn Lake, the Maces Creek system, and Leatherwood Creek. High-resolution JPG versions of the supplied maps can also be downloaded together in one ZIP archive for printing, classroom work, presentations, or offline reference. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
The official City of Hazard website identifies Hazard as the seat of Perry County and places the city in the heart of the Kentucky coal fields. On the supplied maps, Hazard is also the strongest transportation and service center, with Wendell H. Ford Airport and the Hazard regional medical complex providing additional reference points. The elevation map reports an actual county range of about 219 to 759 meters with a mean near 399 meters, making Perry one of the more strongly relieved counties in this Kentucky series.
Table of Contents
Hazard anchors routes 15, 28, 80, and the central road network
The general county map makes Hazard the easiest place to begin. Route 15 provides the main north-south reference through the central county, while route 28 reaches northwest toward Buckhorn. Route 80 approaches from the southwest, and routes 267 and 550 add local east-west connections around Hazard. The road pattern follows valleys rather than broad straight corridors because ridges occupy most of the space between streams.
Buckhorn sits in the narrow western extension near routes 28 and 451. Wendell H. Ford Airport appears north of Hazard, helping orient the upper-central portion of the county, while route 476 continues into the northeastern hills. This side of the county contains fewer large settlement labels and many more creek valleys and local roads.
Vicco, Jeff, and Diablock provide eastern and southeastern place references. Route 7 runs through the long southeastern section, while routes 699 and 463 serve the far south. Hindman, Hyden, Blackey, and Cumberland appear outside the county and help place Perry County among Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Harlan, and neighboring eastern Kentucky counties.
This map is intended for geographic orientation rather than live navigation. It does not show current construction, temporary closures, bridge restrictions, or travel times. Mountain roads frequently follow creek valleys around ridge systems, so actual driving distance can be much longer than the direct separation between two places.
Vicco and Buckhorn lie 8 and 16 straight-line miles from Hazard
The city-connections map uses Hazard as the hub and highlights Vicco and Buckhorn. The supplied map labels Hazard with 5,008 residents, Vicco with 217, and Buckhorn with 95. It shows a direct distance of about 8 miles from Hazard to Vicco and about 16 miles from Hazard to Buckhorn. These are straight-line distances between mapped points rather than driving distances.
Vicco lies east of Hazard, while Buckhorn is much farther northwest in the narrow western extension of the county. Actual travel follows routes such as 15, 28, 451, 476, and 7 together with smaller local roads. Because those roads wind through mountain valleys, route distance can differ substantially from the simplified straight lines.
The city view removes most stream and local-road detail, making the direction and spacing of the three settlements easy to compare. Once Buckhorn and Vicco are fixed relative to Hazard, Buckhorn Lake and the North Fork Kentucky River become easier to place on the physical maps.
The simplified view works well for classroom or presentation use when relative position matters more than routing detail. The general county map is the better choice for road numbers, the airport, the medical center, and smaller communities. Together, the two views make Hazard’s central role clear.
North Fork Kentucky River provides the main interior water corridor
The North Fork Kentucky River is the dominant water feature on the terrain-and-water map, crossing the central county through a broad winding valley. Big Creek approaches from the southwest and several smaller tributaries join the main river around the Hazard area. Compared with the narrow feeder streams, the North Fork provides the clearest continuous low corridor through the county.
Buckhorn Lake occupies the western side near Buckhorn, with Squabble Creek entering the lake area. The western extension is tightly divided by stream valleys and ridge lines, which makes the relationship between water and terrain especially easy to see. Buckhorn Lake is also a useful landmark when comparing the road and elevation maps.
Grapevine Creek and 1st Creek appear in the central-northern interior, while Troublesome Branch and Lick Branch cut through the northeastern hills. Farther south, Middle Fork Maces Creek, Left Fork Maces Creek, Leatherwood Creek, and Big Branch occupy long valleys between higher ridges.
A practical reading order is to start with the North Fork Kentucky River, then move west to Buckhorn Lake and Squabble Creek, back through Big Creek and Grapevine Creek, and finally south to the Maces Creek system and Leatherwood Creek. This is a general geographic reference rather than a flood, navigation, water-depth, fishing-regulation, or property-access product. Current conditions should be checked with the responsible agencies.
Elevation from 219 to 759 meters rises sharply into the southern ridges
The elevation map reports an actual county range of about 219 to 759 meters and a mean near 399 meters. The lowest green terrain follows the North Fork Kentucky River, Big Creek, and other major drainage corridors. Higher orange and brown ridges become especially widespread in the southern and southeastern county.
The Buckhorn side is also heavily dissected, with narrow creek bottoms separated by uplands. Moving toward Hazard, the North Fork Kentucky River and Big Creek create somewhat broader low corridors. The contrast between valley floors and adjacent ridge tops helps explain the winding alignments of routes 28, 451, and 15.
The strongest high-elevation colors appear south of Vicco and across the long southeastern section around routes 7, 699, and 463. Leatherwood Creek and the Maces Creek branches remain in lower corridors, while the surrounding ridges climb much higher. That repeated valley-and-ridge pattern dominates the southern half of the county.
The elevation surface is intended for county-scale comparison rather than parcel-level measurement. It is useful for distinguishing river bottoms from mountain ridges, but it should not be treated as survey-grade elevation for a road, structure, property, or engineering project. Exact site work should rely on current source elevation data or professional surveying.
Following Perry County from Hazard to Buckhorn Lake and the southern mountains
Hazard is the simplest starting point for comparing all of the map views. On the road map, locate routes 15, 267, and 550, then identify Buckhorn to the northwest and Vicco to the east. On the physical map, the North Fork Kentucky River and Big Creek provide the strongest central references.
For the west, use Buckhorn with routes 28 and 451 before locating Buckhorn Lake and Squabble Creek. The elevation map shows low lake and creek corridors enclosed by higher ridges, adding useful context to the narrow western extension and its winding road network.
For the south and east, use Vicco, Jeff, and Diablock together with routes 7, 699, and 463. Leatherwood Creek and the Maces Creek system provide the physical references, while the elevation surface shows some of the county’s highest and most tightly packed ridges in the same area.
Choosing the best Perry County map for print, class, or reference
Use the general county map when Hazard, Buckhorn, Vicco, numbered roads, the airport, medical-center marker, and the full boundary need to appear together. The city-connections map is cleaner when the main question is how Vicco and Buckhorn relate to Hazard and what their straight-line distances are.
Choose the terrain-and-water map for the North Fork Kentucky River, Big Creek, Grapevine Creek, Buckhorn Lake, Leatherwood Creek, and the Maces Creek branches. The elevation map is the strongest view for explaining the contrast between low river corridors and the high southern and southeastern ridges. Comparing water and elevation together makes Perry County’s mountain terrain much easier to understand.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for browser viewing. The downloadable ZIP contains the original JPG maps at 2,572×3,638 pixels each, which is better suited to printing, classroom worksheets, presentations, and offline reference. These maps are general geographic resources rather than legal boundary records, flood studies, parcel surveys, navigation products, or engineering plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hazard within Perry County?
Hazard lies near the center of the county and serves as the county seat. The official City of Hazard website also identifies Hazard as the seat of Perry County. Routes 15, 267, and 550 together with the North Fork Kentucky River provide the easiest map references around the city.
Are the Hazard-to-Vicco and Hazard-to-Buckhorn distances driving distances?
No. The supplied city-connections map shows straight-line distances of about 8 miles to Vicco and 16 miles to Buckhorn. Actual driving distances can be longer because roads follow mountain valleys around ridge systems rather than direct lines.
Can the 219–759 meter elevation range be used as an exact property elevation?
No. The range summarizes the actual countywide elevations shown on the supplied map, with a mean near 399 meters. It is useful for comparing river valleys with high ridges, but exact site elevations should come from current source data or professional surveying.
Map File Information
The ZIP archive contains the original high-resolution JPG versions of the Perry County road-and-boundary map, city-connections map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map. Each image is 2,572×3,638 pixels for printing, classroom work, presentations, and offline reference.
- File Type: 4 JPG files inside one ZIP archive
Related Maps
Sources and references
Hazard and Perry County information is available from the official City of Hazard website and its History page. For underlying geographic data, see the U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles for boundaries and roads, USGS National Hydrography for rivers, lakes, and streams, and the USGS 3D Elevation Program for elevation data.
These maps are intended for geographic explanation, printing, and general reference. Legal boundary decisions, live traffic, flood and water-safety questions, property surveying, and engineering work should rely on the latest authoritative information from the responsible public agency.
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.
