Kiowa County lies on Colorado’s eastern plains, where long roads, shallow drainages, and small towns matter more than mountain landmarks. Eads sits near the middle of the county, while Haswell is far to the west and Sheridan Lake is well to the east. The supplied maps show how those communities relate to CO 96, US 287, US 385, Big Sandy Creek, scattered lakes and reservoirs, and a broad elevation range that changes gradually across the prairie. High-resolution JPG originals of the maps shown on this page are available in the ZIP download below.
A useful way to orient yourself is to start at Eads and then move outward. The city map places Sheridan Lake toward the Kansas side of the county and Haswell toward the western side. The boundary map adds the road network, including the north-south route of US 287 near Eads and US 385 near Sheridan Lake. The water map then fills in features that are easy to miss on a road map, especially Big Sandy Creek and the reservoir group in the south-central part of the county.
Table of Contents
A long prairie county organized around Eads and a few major highways
The county map makes Kiowa County’s east-west shape immediately clear. Haswell appears in the western section, Eads occupies the central part of the county, and Sheridan Lake is positioned near the eastern side. Brandon lies between Eads and Sheridan Lake. Outside the county boundary, place labels such as Las Animas, McClave, and Lamar provide enough regional context to show that Kiowa County belongs to southeastern Colorado rather than the Front Range urban corridor.
Roads are especially useful reference points here because there are no major mountain chains or dense city clusters to anchor the eye. CO 96 enters from the west and continues through the county toward Eads. US 287 crosses the central area from north to south, while US 385 runs through the eastern side near Sheridan Lake. A finer grid of rural roads connects those highways with smaller settlements and open agricultural land.
Kiowa County’s official website identifies Eads, Sheridan Lake, and Haswell as incorporated towns and also lists communities such as Towner, Brandon, Chivington, and Arlington. That information helps explain why the map contains much more open land than urban area. The county is not built around a continuous chain of suburbs. Instead, small communities are separated by broad stretches of prairie and connected by highways and county roads.
Eads, Sheridan Lake, and Haswell form a widely spaced town pattern
The city map isolates three major communities: Eads, Sheridan Lake, and Haswell. Eads is ranked first in the supplied city index, Sheridan Lake second, and Haswell third. More important than the ranking is the spacing. The three places are spread across a large east-west distance, so the map gives a quick sense of how much open country lies between the principal population centers.
Eads works as the most practical reference point because it is centrally located and sits near the junction of important routes. Sheridan Lake represents the eastern side of the county, close to the Colorado-Kansas direction, while Haswell anchors the western side. The connector lines on this map are straight-line references rather than driving routes. Road distance can be longer, so travel planning should use the county map or a current navigation source.
This settlement pattern is one reason the county map and city map work best as a pair. The city view is excellent for orientation, but it removes many of the rural roads that matter once you leave a town. The general map restores those connections and makes it easier to trace a route from one community toward another. It also shows that the eastern and western parts of the county are tied together by a relatively small number of prominent roads.
Big Sandy Creek and a cluster of prairie reservoirs add another layer to the map
The terrain and water map shows that Kiowa County is not featureless even though its relief is gentle. Big Sandy Creek is the most conspicuous named drainage in the eastern half. Buffalo Creek and Wild Horse Creek also appear farther east, while smaller streams cross the western side. These channels are shallow compared with mountain valleys, yet they create visible corridors across the otherwise broad prairie surface.
Several named water bodies appear in the central and southern part of the county. Salt Lake and Black Lake lie west of the main reservoir cluster. Swede Lake sits nearby, while Neenoshe Reservoir and Neeska Reservoir form a particularly recognizable pair. These features are useful landmarks when comparing the water map with the road map. They should not, however, be treated as a flood-hazard, property-boundary, depth, or boating-navigation map.
Big Sandy Creek also provides historical context. The National Park Service places Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Kiowa County near Eads and explains that Big Sandy Creek and Sand Creek refer to the same drainage in the historic-site context. The county map is useful for broad orientation, but anyone visiting the site should use the National Park Service’s current directions because access includes rural roads outside the main highway network.
Elevation changes gently from about 1,127 to 1,429 meters
The elevation map reports an actual range of roughly 1,127 to 1,429 meters, with a mean near 1,269 meters. Higher colors are more common across the western part of the county, while lower greens become more extensive toward the central and eastern plains. The difference is substantial enough to show on a county-scale map, but it is expressed as broad, gradual relief rather than the steep ridges and deep valleys seen in western Colorado.
The shaded surface also reveals low corridors associated with the drainage network. Big Sandy Creek is visible as a lower path through the eastern half, and smaller channels create subtle variations elsewhere. The map is therefore useful for understanding the general shape of the prairie and the relationship between drainage and elevation. It is not a survey-grade surface and should not be used to determine exact site elevations for engineering, construction, or property work.
Comparing this elevation layer with the settlement maps adds useful context. Haswell lies in the generally higher western part of the county, while Eads sits closer to the transition into lower central terrain. Sheridan Lake is farther east in the lower plains. The map does not imply that every point follows a simple west-to-east slope, because local channels and shallow rises interrupt that trend, but the broad regional difference is easy to see.
Use the map that matches the question you are trying to answer
For a quick comparison of Eads, Sheridan Lake, and Haswell, the city map is the simplest choice. When road numbers and smaller settlements matter, the general county map is more useful. The terrain and water map is better for finding Big Sandy Creek, lakes, and reservoirs, while the elevation map shows how gently the county surface rises and falls. Switching between those views is more informative than trying to read every detail from a single image.
The same approach helps with destinations such as Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. First use the county and water maps to understand where Eads and Big Sandy Creek sit within Kiowa County. Then use the National Park Service’s current directions for the final approach, because the site is reached by rural roads and conditions can change. These maps are designed for regional reference and download, not as a substitute for live road information or land-access guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for comparing Eads, Sheridan Lake, and Haswell?
Use the city map for the fastest comparison of the three communities. If you also need the roads between them, switch to the general county map and follow US 287 near Eads, US 385 near Sheridan Lake, CO 96 in the western half, and the connecting rural-road network.
Does the water map show Big Sandy Creek near the Sand Creek Massacre site?
Yes. Big Sandy Creek is clearly labeled in the eastern half of the county. The National Park Service identifies Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site as a Kiowa County location connected with the Big Sandy Creek drainage. Use NPS directions for an actual visit because the final access uses rural roads.
What is included in the downloadable ZIP?
The ZIP is designed to contain the high-resolution JPG originals of the four maps shown in the article: the general county map, major-city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map. The WebP versions in the article are optimized for on-screen viewing, while the JPG files are more convenient for enlargement and offline use.
Map File Information
This ZIP contains the high-resolution JPG originals for the general county map, major-city map, terrain and water map, and elevation map shown on this Kiowa County page.
- Printable Size: 3,638 × 2,572 pixels per JPG
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Kiowa County official website – county information, incorporated towns, local history, and government resources.
- National Park Service – Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site basic information – official location and access information for the Kiowa County site near Eads.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – authoritative county-boundary, road, and place reference data.
- USGS National Hydrography – authoritative reference for streams and water features.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – authoritative elevation-data reference.
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.
