Custer County is easiest to understand as a broad central mountain basin surrounded by much higher terrain. Silver Cliff and Westcliffe sit close together near the middle of that basin, while the rest of the county spreads into steep ridges, long valleys, reservoirs, and mountain streams. The supplied maps let readers compare the settlement area with De Weese Reservoir, Grape Creek, major roads, and the county’s large elevation range. High-resolution JPG originals of the same maps are available in the download box below.
Silver Cliff and Westcliffe make the best starting pair because they are the only prominently ranked cities on the city map and lie very close together. The county reference map places the Custer County Courthouse in the same central area, with Route 96 heading east and Route 69 providing a strong north-south reference. Once those anchors are clear, the many smaller numbered roads and mountain drainages are much easier to place.
Water features help explain the basin just as clearly as the roads. De Weese Reservoir lies north of the main settlement area and feeds Grape Creek, which continues through the central lower terrain. Streams such as Cottonwood Creek, South Colony Creek, Antelope Creek, Froze Creek, and the Hardscrabble Creek branches descend from different mountain sides. The elevation map ranges from about 1,749 to 4,312 meters, with a mean near 2,752 meters.
Table of Contents
Why Silver Cliff and Westcliffe are the natural map anchors
The city map shows Silver Cliff and Westcliffe so close together that they function as a single geographic reference for much of the county. Their markers occupy a small part of a much larger boundary filled with mountain ridges and drainage corridors. That contrast is useful: the towns explain where daily settlement is concentrated, while the surrounding map explains why most of the county remains visually dominated by terrain rather than by streets or urban labels.
Custer County government offices are based in Westcliffe, and regional tourism material presents Westcliffe and Silver Cliff together as the core communities of the Wet Mountain Valley. The supplied maps support that framing without requiring extra interpretation. Both towns sit in the lower central basin, while higher ground surrounds them to the west, east, and southeast.
Distance on the page can be misleading once roads leave the basin. A nearby mountain drainage may require a winding approach because routes follow lower passes and creek valleys instead of crossing high ridges directly. For that reason, the city map is excellent for settlement location, but road planning needs the reference map and current travel information.
Following Routes 96 and 69 into the surrounding mountains
The county reference map starts to make sense once Route 96 and Route 69 are identified. Route 96 runs east from the Silver Cliff area, while Route 69 provides the main north-south guide through the central and southern parts of the county. Smaller numbered roads then branch into the surrounding terrain, including routes marked 170, 255, 130, 271, 328, and 358.
Farther east and southeast, numbers such as 364, 361, 360, 78, and 165 appear on roads that bend through more rugged terrain. Routes 111 and 634 are shown in the south. This pattern is very different from a flat county with a regular road grid; the mountain topography forces many routes to use lower corridors between ridges.
The map is intended for orientation rather than turn-by-turn navigation. It does not include every unpaved road, private access track, seasonal closure, or current road condition. Anyone planning a trip into the surrounding mountains should pair this county overview with current transportation and access information.
A simple two-city view of the central basin
The city map removes most of the road detail and leaves Silver Cliff and Westcliffe as the main visual focus. Silver Cliff is plotted slightly east of Westcliffe, but the two markers are very close relative to the full size of the county. This makes the map useful for presentations, classroom material, and quick location checks where the surrounding mountain road network would only add clutter.
The CITY INDEX includes a rank and number for each place. Those values should be treated as part of the map’s internal ranking display, not automatically as current Census population totals. For current population estimates or demographic trends, a recent U.S. Census Bureau release is the appropriate source.
Fremont, Pueblo, Huerfano, and Saguache counties are labeled outside the boundary and provide regional context. The two-city view is intentionally simple, so readers looking for De Weese Reservoir, Grape Creek, or smaller routes should switch to the reference or terrain-and-water map.
Grape Creek as the link between De Weese Reservoir and the basin
On the terrain-and-water map, De Weese Reservoir and Grape Creek form the clearest central relationship. The reservoir sits north of the main settlement area, and Grape Creek continues south through lower terrain. That makes the pair a useful geographic guide for understanding where the basin sits between the mountain systems on either side.
The western mountains contain Cottonwood Creek and South Colony Creek, while Rainbow Lake and Lower Brush Lake sit farther northwest near Taylor Creek and Swift Creek. Across the basin, Antelope Creek and Froze Creek mark separate eastern valleys. North Hardscrabble Creek and South Hardscrabble Creek appear farther east, each following its own mountain drainage rather than one combined channel.
This water map is a location reference, not a live hydrology or recreation status product. Streamflow, reservoir levels, fishing rules, flood risk, and seasonal access can change. Current conditions should be checked with USGS and the relevant local or state agencies before making safety or access decisions.
A basin surrounded by terrain rising above 4,300 meters
The elevation map summarizes the county’s terrain in one view. The printed range extends from about 1,749 to 4,312 meters, with a mean near 2,752 meters. Lower green colors occupy the central basin, while the western boundary climbs rapidly into tan and brown high terrain. Elevated ground also spreads across the east and southeast, enclosing the lower middle from both sides.
The western side contains the steepest and most continuous high ground, but the east is not flat. Ridges and lower creek valleys alternate across a broad mountain zone, and the southeast rises again into higher terrain. When this surface is compared with the water map, the route of Grape Creek and the other tributaries through lower ground becomes much easier to understand.
The color surface is meant for broad terrain comparison and is not survey-grade. It should not be used to assign an exact elevation to a home, ranch parcel, road project, trail facility, or structure. Detailed site work should rely on source elevation data from the USGS 3D Elevation Program or professional surveying.
Using the four views together
The reference map is the best starting point when Silver Cliff, Westcliffe, Routes 96 and 69, and the wider road network need to be seen together. The city map is faster for a simple two-city comparison. The terrain-and-water map adds De Weese Reservoir, Grape Creek, lakes, and mountain tributaries, while the elevation map explains why the central basin looks so different from the surrounding high country.
The WebP images in the article are reduced previews for faster loading. The download archive contains the matching high-resolution JPG originals at 3638 × 2572 pixels each, which are better suited to printing, classroom handouts, reports, presentations, and personal annotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which view is simplest for locating Silver Cliff and Westcliffe?
The city map is the simplest because it removes most road detail and highlights only Silver Cliff and Westcliffe. Use the reference map when you also need the courthouse area, Routes 96 and 69, or the smaller numbered mountain roads.
Where are De Weese Reservoir and Grape Creek easiest to see?
The terrain-and-water map shows them most clearly. It also labels Rainbow Lake, Lower Brush Lake, Cottonwood Creek, South Colony Creek, Antelope Creek, Froze Creek, and the Hardscrabble Creek branches.
Is the 1,749–4,312 meter range suitable for exact survey work?
No. The range is useful for county-wide terrain comparison, but it is not survey-grade. Construction, road, parcel, or engineering work should use source USGS elevation data or professional surveying.
Map File Information
The ZIP archive contains high-resolution JPG originals of the Custer County reference, city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps.
- Printable Size: 3638 × 2572 pixels each
- File Type: ZIP archive containing 4 JPG files
Related Maps
Sources and references
Local government information is available from the official Custer County website. Regional information about Westcliffe, Silver Cliff, and the Wet Mountain Valley is available from the Visit Wet Mountain Valley tourism site.
Additional data references include U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles for administrative boundaries, USGS National Hydrography for water features, and the USGS 3D Elevation Program for elevation 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.
