Delta County combines low river valleys, agricultural communities, and much higher mountain terrain across western Colorado. The City of Delta is the easiest place to use as a starting point, with Orchard City and Cedaredge to the north and Lazear, Hotchkiss, Paonia, and Crawford spread toward the east and southeast. The supplied county, city, water, and elevation maps show how these communities relate to major highways, the Gunnison River system, reservoirs, and a large change in elevation. High-resolution JPG originals of the same maps are available below in one downloadable ZIP archive.
The county reference map is organized around several recognizable roads. US 50 approaches Delta from the west, CO 65 runs north through the Orchard City and Cedaredge area, CO 133 provides a strong reference near Paonia, and CO 92 appears in the southeast. Route 348 is marked south of Delta. Together these roads make it easy to see how the lower western and southern valleys carry more towns and local roads than the higher northern and eastern terrain.
Waterways provide the other major geographic framework. Gunnison River crosses the southern part of the county, while North Fork Gunnison River approaches from the east. Surface Creek descends through the Cedaredge–Orchard City area, and Currant Creek and Cottonwood Creek cross mountain valleys farther north. The water map also labels Fruit Growers Reservoir, Sweitzer Lake, Crawford Reservoir, and several smaller reservoirs. The elevation map ranges from about 1,445 to 3,455 meters with a mean near 2,129 meters.
Table of Contents
A chain of communities from Delta to Paonia and Crawford
Delta provides the strongest settlement anchor because it sits in the lower southwestern part of the county and connects several road corridors. Orchard City and Cedaredge lie farther north, while Lazear sits along the eastbound route from Delta. Paonia and Hotchkiss are farther east in the North Fork area, and Crawford is separated to the southeast. The six major municipalities therefore form several valley-based clusters rather than one straight urban corridor.
Delta County’s official communities page lists Cedaredge, Crawford, Delta, Hotchkiss, Orchard City, and Paonia as the county’s incorporated municipalities. The county also describes Delta as the county seat at the meeting of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre rivers and highlights the county’s agricultural roots, river valleys, public lands, and mountain access. Those official descriptions match the settlement pattern visible on the supplied maps.
Roads and streams help make sense of the spacing between towns. Cedaredge is easy to locate along CO 65 and Surface Creek, while Paonia and Hotchkiss sit in a more enclosed eastern valley system. Delta and Orchard City occupy a broader lowland with denser local roads. As the map rises into the mountains, towns become less frequent and drainage lines become much more prominent.
US 50, CO 65, and CO 133 on the county reference map
US 50 is the clearest western road reference, entering the county toward Delta. CO 65 runs north from the lower valley toward Orchard City and Cedaredge, while CO 133 becomes important near the Paonia area. CO 92 is labeled in the southeast, and Route 348 extends south from Delta. These numbered roads provide a simple framework for finding the smaller communities and local routes.
The reference map also labels Delta County Courthouse, Delta Health Memorial Hospital, and Technical College of the Rockies in the Delta area. These facilities reinforce Delta’s role as the county’s main administrative and service center. Farther north and east, road density falls while stream density increases, reflecting the transition from broad valley floors to steeper terrain.
This is a county-orientation map rather than a live navigation or parcel product. It does not show every private road, seasonal closure, current surface condition, or ownership boundary. Current travel decisions should be checked with an appropriate transportation source, and legal property questions require authoritative county records.
Six ranked cities across several valleys
The city map highlights Delta, Orchard City, Cedaredge, Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Crawford. Delta sits in the southwest, Orchard City and Cedaredge are farther north, and Paonia and Hotchkiss form an eastern pair. Crawford is plotted farther south, making the distribution noticeably wider than a single corridor of towns.
The CITY INDEX prints a rank and number beside each place. Those values are best treated as part of the map’s internal city-ranking display rather than assumed to be current Census population counts. Anyone who needs current population figures or demographic trends should use a recent U.S. Census Bureau release.
Mesa, Montrose, Gunnison, and Pitkin counties are labeled around the outside of the map and help place Delta County within western Colorado. The city view is useful for quick comparison, while readers who need highway numbers, reservoirs, or mountain streams should switch to the reference or terrain-and-water map.
Gunnison River, North Fork valleys, and named reservoirs
The terrain-and-water map is organized around the Gunnison River system. Gunnison River crosses the lower southern part of the county, while North Fork Gunnison River follows an eastern valley toward the main river corridor. Surface Creek, Currant Creek, and Cottonwood Creek descend from higher northern terrain, creating a dense network of tributary valleys above the main agricultural lowlands.
Several named reservoirs and lakes are spread across the county. Bonita Reservoir, Eggleston Lake, Goodenough Reservoir, and Bailey Reservoir are shown in the northern high country, while Fruit Growers Reservoir lies closer to the central valleys. Sweitzer Lake appears southwest of the main river corridor, Crawford Reservoir is in the southeast, and Terror Creek Reservoir is labeled farther east. Fire Mountain Canal is also shown, adding an irrigation feature to the natural drainage network.
The map is useful for locating rivers, creeks, reservoirs, and canals, but it is not a live water-level, flood, fishing, water-rights, or water-quality product. Conditions can change with season and management. Current information should be checked with USGS and the relevant local or state agencies.
Elevation from 1,445-meter valleys to terrain above 3,400 meters
The elevation map explains why settlement is concentrated in the lower western and southern valleys. Its printed range runs from about 1,445 to 3,455 meters, with a mean near 2,129 meters. Dark green lower terrain dominates the Delta and Gunnison River area, while yellow, tan, and brown colors spread across the north and northeast as the landscape rises.
The highest colors are concentrated along the northern edge and in the northeastern extension of the county. Lower stream valleys cut through those slopes, carrying water toward the broader agricultural lowlands. Paonia and Crawford also sit near terrain that rises quickly beyond the valley floor, so the eastern side is much more topographically complex than the Delta lowland.
The colored elevation surface is intended for broad terrain comparison, not survey work. It should not be used to assign an exact elevation to a farm, home, road project, reservoir structure, or parcel. Engineering and legal work should rely on source elevation data from the USGS 3D Elevation Program or professional surveying.
Choose the right Delta County map and download the JPG originals
Use the county reference map when you need Delta, Orchard City, Cedaredge, Paonia, US 50, CO 65, CO 133, and surrounding roads in one view. The city map is faster when the goal is to compare the six major municipalities without extra road detail.
The terrain-and-water map is the best choice for Gunnison River, North Fork Gunnison River, Surface Creek, reservoirs, and irrigation features. The elevation map is more useful when the subject is the low western valleys or the rapid rise into northern and eastern high country. Matching the map to the task makes the county much easier to understand.
The WebP images in the article are reduced previews for faster page loading. The download archive contains the corresponding original JPG files at 3638 × 2572 pixels each, making them better suited to printing, classroom use, reports, presentations, and personal annotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for comparing Delta, Cedaredge, and Paonia?
Use the county reference map when roads and nearby place names matter. The city map is simpler for comparing the six major municipalities. Delta is the southwestern anchor, Cedaredge lies farther north, and Paonia is a major eastern reference.
Where can I see Gunnison River and the main reservoirs most clearly?
The terrain-and-water map is the best choice. It labels Gunnison River, North Fork Gunnison River, Surface Creek, Currant Creek, Fruit Growers Reservoir, Sweitzer Lake, Crawford Reservoir, and several additional water bodies.
Can the 1,445–3,455 meter elevation range be used for survey work?
No. The range is useful for county-wide terrain comparison, but it is not survey-grade. Exact elevation work for construction, roads, farms, parcels, or engineering should use source USGS elevation data or professional surveying.
Map File Information
The ZIP archive contains high-resolution JPG originals of the Delta 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 community and county information is available from the official Delta County County Locations & Communities page and the official Your County page. These pages describe Delta, Cedaredge, Crawford, Hotchkiss, Orchard City, Paonia, and the county’s Western Slope setting.
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.
