Cherokee County in eastern Oklahoma is centered on Tahlequah, with Hulbert, Park Hill, Peggs, Lowrey, Moodys, Welling, Cookson, and smaller communities spread across Ozark hills and river valleys. U.S. 62 crosses the Tahlequah area from west to east, while State Highways 10 and 82 provide important north-south references. Fort Gibson Lake and the Neosho River shape the western edge, while the Illinois River winds through the eastern highlands toward Tenkiller Ferry Lake. This page compares roads and settlements, city distribution, waterways, and elevation, and high-resolution JPG originals of all four supplied maps are available in the download ZIP.
Tahlequah is the county seat and the largest developed area shown on the supplied maps. Cherokee County’s official site identifies Tahlequah as the county seat and places county offices on West Delaware Street. The landscape changes quickly away from town: low water country lies around Fort Gibson Lake and the Neosho River in the west, while much higher ridges dominate the north and east. The Illinois River cuts a deep green corridor through those uplands before reaching Tenkiller Lake.
Table of Contents
Tahlequah anchors the road network between Hulbert and Tenkiller country
The general county map places Tahlequah slightly east of center, with the densest street pattern and several public landmarks, including Northeastern State University and the Tahlequah Police Department. U.S. 62 crosses the city, State Highway 10 approaches through the northern hill country, and Highway 82 continues south toward the Tenkiller Lake side. These routes make Tahlequah the clearest starting point for locating the rest of the county.
Hulbert lies west of Tahlequah near the State Highway 51 corridor. Farther north and northwest, Lost City, Shady Grove, and Peggs occupy widely spaced rural terrain, while Lowrey and Moodys lie in the higher northeastern interior. The western county edge becomes irregular where Fort Gibson Lake and the Neosho River meet the boundary.
Park Hill sits south of Tahlequah, and Welling, Tenkiller, and Cookson extend the settlement pattern toward the southeastern lake country. Highway 82 is the strongest road reference for this side of the county, while Highway 100 crosses the southern Tenkiller area. The combination of reservoir arms, steep tributary valleys, and narrow ridges makes the southern road pattern more curved than the broad western lowlands.
Cherokee County’s official site also notes Tahlequah’s role as the capital of the Cherokee Nation, adding another important regional function to the county seat. The supplied road map is useful for geographic orientation, but it does not show live construction, closures, or current travel time. Those details should be checked with current transportation sources.
The city view reduces the county to Tahlequah and Hulbert
The city-distribution map highlights only Tahlequah and Hulbert. Tahlequah forms the much larger east-central urban area, while Hulbert provides a smaller western reference. By removing most secondary place labels, the map makes the concentration of urban activity around Tahlequah especially clear.
The CITY INDEX includes values beside the two place names, but those figures belong to the supplied map and are not reused here as current official population estimates. Reference dates may differ. The durable geographic information is their relationship: Tahlequah is the central administrative and educational hub, while Hulbert marks the western side near Highway 51 and the Fort Gibson Lake drainage.
The general map adds what the simplified view leaves out. Shady Grove and rural roads lie between the two communities, and Fourteenmile Creek drains across this part of the county. East and south of Tahlequah, Park Hill, Welling, and Tenkiller connect the county seat to much more rugged Illinois River and reservoir country.
Illinois River and Tenkiller Lake cut through the eastern hills
The Illinois River is the dominant eastern watercourse. It winds south through high terrain before entering Tenkiller Ferry Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identifies Tenkiller Lake as an Illinois River reservoir spanning Cherokee and Sequoyah counties. On the elevation map, the river and reservoir form a long green corridor surrounded by much higher orange and brown ridges.
The western side is organized around the Neosho River and Fort Gibson Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notes that Fort Gibson Lake shoreline extends into Wagoner, Cherokee, and Mayes counties. On the supplied map, the lake reaches into the county southwest of Hulbert and creates a broad low-water landscape that differs sharply from the narrow river valleys of the east.
Fourteenmile Creek crosses the central-western interior, while Spring Creek and Blackbird Creek drain the northern hills. Double Spring Creek and Pecan Creek lie southwest of Tahlequah. Farther south, East Squirrel Creek and Greenleaf Creek descend toward the Tenkiller system, and Baron Fork follows another deep eastern valley. The density of these tributaries shows how thoroughly the hills are divided by small drainage corridors.
The water layer is designed to show the relative locations of rivers, creeks, lakes, and the valleys associated with them. It is not a flood-hazard map, legal water-boundary record, current depth or discharge chart, fishing-regulation guide, or navigation product. Current conditions at Fort Gibson and Tenkiller lakes should be checked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or other managing agencies.
Elevation from about 149 to 494 meters shows strong Ozark relief
The elevation legend reports an actual county range of about 149 to 494 meters, with a mean near 261 meters. The highest brown terrain is concentrated across the north, northeast, and eastern edge, with additional high ridges in the southeast. The lowest green terrain spreads around Fort Gibson Lake and the Neosho River in the west and follows the Illinois River through the eastern interior.
The northern half is deeply dissected by narrow ridges and creek valleys. Spring Creek and Blackbird Creek cut through broad high ground around the Lowrey and Moodys side before draining toward lower corridors. Approaching the Illinois River produces especially sharp local relief because the valley floor drops quickly below the surrounding hills.
High ridges continue through the east and southeast, but the Illinois River and Tenkiller reservoir split them into separate blocks. Around Cookson and Tenkiller, low green water margins sit immediately beside orange and brown hills. Moving west toward Fort Gibson Lake, elevations decrease and the lowland becomes much broader.
Brown represents the high end of Cherokee County’s local elevation scale, with the supplied map reaching about 494 meters. The layer is intended for county-scale terrain comparison rather than engineering. Exact parcel elevations, road grades, drainage design, and construction measurements should come from original USGS elevation data or a professional survey.
From Tahlequah, west means broad lake lowlands and east means steep river country
Using Tahlequah as a fixed reference makes the county’s contrast easy to see. West toward Hulbert, elevations generally fall and the landscape opens toward Fort Gibson Lake and the Neosho River. Fourteenmile Creek and other tributaries cross this side, but the major lowland is broad compared with the narrow eastern valleys.
Traveling east or southeast on the Highway 10 and 82 side brings the route closer to the Illinois River and much higher Ozark ridges. The river itself remains low, but slopes rise quickly on both sides. The Corps of Engineers describes cliffs, forests, and meadows around Tenkiller shoreline, which fits the sharp relief visible on the supplied elevation map.
North toward Peggs, Lowrey, and Moodys, higher terrain and dense tributaries dominate. Southwest toward Park Hill and Norwood, the county becomes lower and more connected to the Fort Gibson and central creek systems. In Cherokee County, roads and settlements make more sense when viewed together with the river valleys and elevation differences.
Choose the Cherokee County map for roads, water, or terrain
Use the general county map when you need Tahlequah, Hulbert, Park Hill, Peggs, Welling, Cookson, U.S. 62, or State Highways 10, 51, 82, and 100 together. The city-distribution view is cleaner when the goal is simply comparing Tahlequah and Hulbert. Choose the water map for the Illinois River, Fort Gibson Lake, Neosho River, Fourteenmile Creek, and the Tenkiller reservoir system.
The elevation map is the clearest choice for comparing the high northern and eastern Ozark hills with the Illinois River corridor and low western lake country. The WebP previews on the page are convenient for quick viewing, while the high-resolution JPG originals in the ZIP below are better for printing and zooming into small road and stream labels. These maps are regional reference products and should not replace legal parcel records, live navigation, flood determinations, or survey-grade elevation data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Tahlequah and Hulbert positioned on the map?
Tahlequah sits in the east-central county, while Hulbert lies to the west. U.S. 62, State Highway 51, and rural roads provide the main geographic references between them, and Tahlequah appears as the much larger developed area.
Where does the Illinois River run through Cherokee County?
The Illinois River winds south through the eastern half of the county and enters Tenkiller Ferry Lake. The water map shows it as the strongest eastern river corridor, and the elevation map shows the same route as a low green valley between high hills.
Can the 149–494 meter elevation range be used for surveying?
No. The elevation layer is intended for county-scale comparison of Ozark hills, river valleys, and lake lowlands. Exact parcel elevations, road grades, drainage design, and construction measurements should come from original USGS data or a professional survey.
Map File Information
The download ZIP contains high-resolution JPG originals of the Cherokee County general map, city distribution map, water map, and elevation map.
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Cherokee County · About – Tahlequah county-seat and Cherokee County background information
- Cherokee County · Contact – county offices and addresses in Tahlequah
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Fort Gibson Lake – Fort Gibson Lake shoreline and Cherokee County water information
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Tenkiller Lake – Illinois River and Tenkiller Ferry Lake information in Cherokee and Sequoyah counties
- USGS National Hydrography – river, creek, and lake reference data
- USGS 3D Elevation Program – elevation and terrain reference 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.
