Lincoln County in southeastern Arkansas changes noticeably from rolling Coastal Plain terrain west of Star City to broad, low Delta country toward Gould, Grady, and the Arkansas River. Star City is the county seat and the strongest road reference on the supplied maps. Bayou Bartholomew crosses the county from northwest toward southeast, while the Arkansas River forms large bends along the northeastern side. This page shows communities, roads, city connections, bayous, creeks, lakes, reservoirs, and an actual elevation range of about 43 to 125 meters. The same four maps are available as high-resolution JPG files in one downloadable ZIP.
The county’s geography is easiest to understand by comparing the land on opposite sides of Bayou Bartholomew. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas describes the bayou as a divider between Mississippi Alluvial Plain bottomland to the east and Coastal Plain terrain to the west. The supplied elevation map shows that contrast clearly. Higher ridges and short valleys are concentrated west and southwest of Star City, while the Grady-Gould side and the Arkansas River lowlands are much flatter and lower. Star City sits close to the transition and therefore works well as a starting point for all four maps.
Table of Contents
Star City provides the clearest starting point for the county road map
The general map shows several roads converging near Star City. Routes 212, 54, and 11 provide strong east-west and north-south references around the city, while Route 425 continues toward the southern boundary. Route 199 runs north toward the Grady side. Instead of trying to memorize every road number, begin at Star City and follow three simple directions: north toward Grady, east toward Gould, and south toward the lower county. That approach makes the long road lines and irregular boundary much easier to understand.
East of Star City, Route 114 reaches toward Gould and Route 65 runs near the eastern side. Routes 83 and 293 are labeled farther southeast. Around Grady, Route 388 crosses the northern lowland, while Route 199 continues through the central-northern part of the county. Route 530 appears near the western boundary. The western roads tend to bend more often around creeks and rolling terrain, whereas the eastern lowland supports longer, straighter road segments.
The county boundary becomes especially irregular in the northeast. Large bends in the Arkansas River shape the upper and eastern edge, and a narrow projection extends north of the main county body around the Grady side. Near Gould, the eastern border also steps inward and outward before continuing south. The west and south contain longer straight segments. Jefferson, Arkansas, Desha, Drew, and Cleveland counties are labeled outside the boundary, providing regional context for Lincoln County’s position in southeastern Arkansas.
The city-connections map compares Grady and Gould directly with Star City
The city-connections map uses Star City as the hub and shows direct point-to-point distances to Grady and Gould. Grady is about 12 miles from Star City, generally to the north, while Gould is about 16 miles away to the east. These are straight-line distances rather than driving mileage. They are useful for comparing relative location and county scale, but actual road distance and travel time should be checked with a current road or navigation map.
The two connections also point into different landscapes. Star City lies near the edge of the higher western terrain, while Grady occupies low ground closer to the Arkansas River side. Gould is east of Star City in a broader and flatter plain. Comparing the city map with the elevation layer shows that a 12- to 16-mile change in position can also mean a noticeable change in relief, stream shape, and road pattern.
The city legend includes additional numeric values beside the names, but this article does not reinterpret those values as current population estimates. The supplied map clearly supports the hub city, the two connected communities, their directions, and the straight-line distances. Star City’s status as county seat is supported separately by Lincoln County reference material.
Bayou Bartholomew marks the transition from western uplands to eastern bottomland
Bayou Bartholomew is the most important interior waterway on the terrain and water map. It bends from the northwestern side through the central county and continues toward the southeast. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas describes the bayou as a major geographic divider in Lincoln County, separating lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain land to the east from Coastal Plain terrain to the west. The water and elevation maps show the same relationship: higher ground is concentrated west of the bayou, while the east opens into much broader lowland.
Several smaller waterways feed or parallel that larger system. Turtle Creek crosses the northwestern interior, Deep Bayou descends from the northern side, and Crutchfield Bayou winds through the central-eastern lowland. Wells Bayou appears farther south and east. Flat Creek and Ables Creek follow long valleys near the southern boundary. Viewed together, these channels show how water leaves the rolling western terrain and spreads into lower, more gently sloping land.
Small reservoirs and lakes add useful landmarks across the lowland. Pinchback Reservoir and Holthoff Reservoir are labeled near the center, while Round Lake and Long Lake appear in the northern projection. Jones Lake and Lake Diane sit closer to the northeastern river side, and Bay Bayou is labeled near the far east. Lincoln County is not dominated by one large inland reservoir; instead, its water map combines bayous, creeks, small lakes, reservoirs, and the large Arkansas River boundary.
The Arkansas River forms the broad winding watercourse along the northeastern side of the county. Its large meanders help explain the unusually curved boundary visible on the general map. This terrain and water map is intended for general geographic reference, not for current river stage, flood risk, fishing regulations, property boundaries, or live road access. For river or flood decisions, use current USGS information and guidance from the responsible agency.
Elevation ranges from 43 to 125 meters, with the highest terrain west of Star City
The supplied elevation map shows an actual countywide range of about 43 to 125 meters, with a mean near 62 meters. That is roughly 82 meters of relief. The highest brown and tan terrain is concentrated west and southwest of Star City, where short ridges and narrow valleys repeat across the Coastal Plain. East of Bayou Bartholomew, the colors shift quickly toward green and remain low across the Gould, Grady, and Arkansas River side.
The western high ground is not a single mountain. It consists of many short ridges separated by small drainage valleys. Turtle Creek, Flat Creek, Ables Creek, and other channels occupy some of those lower corridors before reaching flatter ground farther east. Star City lies close to the point where the relief begins to decrease, which is why the city is useful for comparing the western upland and eastern bottomland on the same map.
Grady and Gould are located in much lower terrain, and the northeastern Arkansas River side is also dominated by green elevation colors. Old river bends, lakes, and bayous are more common in this lowland setting than in the western ridges. The elevation image is designed for county-scale comparison rather than survey-grade measurement, so exact parcel, road, building, or engineering elevations require original USGS elevation data or a professional survey.
Compare east and north from Star City to see the county change quickly
A practical way to use the four maps together is to start at Star City and move east toward Gould. Along that direction, the rolling western terrain gives way to flatter ground, and Crutchfield Bayou and Wells Bayou become more prominent on the water map. The road network also becomes more open. Looking west from Star City produces the opposite pattern, with tighter creek valleys and repeated short ridges visible on the elevation map.
The route toward Grady provides another useful comparison. The city-connections map places Grady about 12 straight-line miles from Star City, yet the northern area already feels different because the Arkansas River bends, Round Lake, Long Lake, and other lowland water features are close by. Gould is about 16 straight-line miles east of Star City and sits in another broad low section. Those two directions make it easy to connect city location, distance, waterways, and relief without trying to read every map feature at once.
High-resolution JPG files for Star City roads and Bayou Bartholomew 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-connections map for straight-line direction and distance from Star City, the terrain and water map for Bayou Bartholomew, the Arkansas River side, lakes, and reservoirs, and the elevation map for comparing western ridges with eastern lowlands.
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
What is the county seat of Lincoln County?
Star City is the county seat of Lincoln County. It is also the most prominent urban center on the supplied general map, with Routes 212, 54, and 11 among the roads converging nearby. Using Star City as the starting point makes it easy to locate Grady to the north and Gould to the east.
What distances are shown from Star City to Grady and Gould?
The city-connections map shows about 12 miles from Star City to Grady and about 16 miles to Gould. These are straight-line distances rather than driving mileage, so actual road distance and travel time should be checked with a current navigation map.
Where is the highest terrain in Lincoln County?
The highest terrain on the supplied elevation map is concentrated west and southwest of Star City. The countywide elevation range is about 43–125 meters with a mean near 62 meters. East of Bayou Bartholomew and toward Grady, Gould, and the Arkansas River, the terrain is much lower and flatter.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains the general county map, city-connections 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
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas – Lincoln County – county seat, Arkansas River, Bayou Bartholomew, Delta bottomland, and Coastal Plain geography
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas – Star City – Star City and county-seat information
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas – Bayou Bartholomew – the bayou and its route through Lincoln County
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundary and road data
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, bayous, streams, lakes, and hydrography 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.
