Washington County in southeastern Ohio is centered on Marietta, where the Muskingum River reaches the Ohio River. Belpre occupies another major riverfront setting in the southwest, Beverly lies along the Muskingum valley to the northwest, and Newport follows the Ohio River on the eastern side. Between those places, Devola, Lower Salem, Vincent, and smaller communities sit among densely dissected hills. I-77 and Routes 7, 60, 26, 550, 555, and other roads follow the river corridors and interior valleys. High-resolution JPG originals of the supplied maps are available in the download ZIP near the end of the page.
The county makes the most sense when the rivers come first. Marietta sits on the broad low ground at the confluence, the Muskingum valley leads northwest toward Beverly, and the Ohio corridor stretches southwest toward Belpre and east toward Newport. Away from those lowlands, the terrain rises quickly into short ridges cut by numerous streams. The elevation layer shows especially dense high ground in the eastern and northeastern interior.
Table of Contents
Marietta ties the Ohio and Muskingum corridors together
The general map places Marietta in the south-central county at the most important meeting point of roads and rivers. I-77 approaches from the north and crosses the Marietta area. Route 7 follows the Ohio River toward Newport, while Route 60 follows the Muskingum River toward Devola and Beverly. Route 821 provides another inland northward connection. The arrangement makes Marietta the easiest reference for almost every other place in Washington County.
Belpre forms a separate southwestern riverfront center. The developed strip follows the Ohio River, with U.S. 50 and Route 339 providing useful references farther west and north. Little Hocking sits beyond Belpre near another bend of the Ohio, while Route 555 reaches into the hill country toward Vincent and the western interior.
Beverly lies in the northwest beside a broad bend of the Muskingum River, with Routes 60 and 530 providing orientation. Lower Salem is farther inland to the northeast around the Route 821 and 145 area. The eastern side is defined by a long Ohio River boundary, and Newport sits where Route 7 and Route 260 follow the riverfront. Roads here often curve with valleys rather than crossing the hills in straight lines.
Washington County’s official government offices are centered in Marietta, which matches the concentration visible on the map. The county itself extends far beyond the city, however. Developed land gives way quickly to wooded slopes, narrow hollows, and small streams, so live road and construction information is more appropriate than this static map for current driving decisions.
The highlighted communities follow the major river valleys
The city-distribution view highlights Marietta, Belpre, Beverly, Matamoras (New Matamoras), Lowell, and Macksburg. Marietta anchors the south-central confluence, Belpre lies southwest along the Ohio, Beverly and Lowell occupy the northwestern Muskingum side, Matamoras sits on the eastern riverfront, and Macksburg provides a northern inland reference.
The CITY INDEX prints values beside the six names, but those figures belong to the supplied map and are not reused here as current official population estimates. Census reference dates and municipal boundaries can change. The durable geographic pattern is more useful: Marietta and Belpre are the two strong Ohio River references, Beverly and Lowell align with the Muskingum valley, Matamoras marks the east, and Macksburg marks the northern interior.
Marietta-Washington County CVB describes Marietta as standing at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. That setting explains more than the city’s history; it also explains why Marietta dominates the settlement map. Two large waterways and several important roads meet in the same lowland, while most other communities are stretched along separate river or creek corridors.
Ohio and Muskingum rivers form the county’s water framework
The Ohio River wraps around much of the southern and eastern county boundary. At Marietta, the Muskingum River arrives from the northwest and joins it, creating the county’s most recognizable water junction. The Muskingum valley remains broad north of Marietta toward Beverly, and numerous tributaries descend into it from the surrounding hills.
The Little Muskingum River is the strongest interior watercourse in the northeast. It bends repeatedly through narrow hill country before approaching the Ohio River. Small tributaries are packed closely around it, and the shaded relief makes clear that the drainage occupies a chain of low valleys rather than a broad plain.
In the southwest, the Little Hocking River reaches the Ohio through another strongly incised valley. Big Run and many smaller streams divide the surrounding uplands, and Veto Lake provides a small inland water reference. The north and northwest include additional creek systems feeding the Muskingum, so most parts of the county are linked to a visible stream valley even when they are far from the two major rivers.
Regional tourism information emphasizes the long relationship of Washington County with the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, while the county’s official tracks-and-trails list includes the Marietta River Trail and Muskingum Park along the waterfront. These references connect the mapped waterways with present-day public space. The supplied water layer is still a geographic reference rather than a flood map, legal shoreline record, current flow chart, or navigation product.
Elevation from about 177 to 366 meters reveals a deeply cut hill county
The elevation legend reports an actual county range of about 177 to 366 meters, with a mean near 250 meters. The lowest dark-green terrain follows the Ohio River, the Muskingum River, and the major interior river valleys. Brown and orange ridges rise sharply away from those corridors, with the eastern and northeastern interior showing especially dense high terrain.
The Muskingum corridor from Marietta toward Beverly forms one of the clearest low bands. Marietta, Belpre, and Newport also occupy low Ohio River terraces or valley floors. Moving inland from those communities quickly brings yellow, orange, and brown slopes into view, which explains why road routes tend to follow creek valleys rather than direct straight lines.
The eastern half is the most intensely dissected. The Little Muskingum River cuts a long green channel through high ridges, and almost every tributary creates another lower notch. The southwest around Little Hocking is also hilly, but the eastern and northeastern ridges appear more continuous and more densely packed on the supplied elevation map.
The brown colors mark the high end of Washington County’s local scale, not mountain elevations comparable with major ranges. This layer is useful for county-scale comparison, not engineering. Exact parcel heights, road grades, drainage design, and construction measurements should come from original USGS elevation data or a professional survey.
Compare Beverly, Belpre, and Newport from Marietta
Using Marietta as a fixed reference makes three different parts of the county easy to compare. Beverly lies northwest along Route 60 and the Muskingum River. Belpre sits southwest on the Ohio River, while Newport lies east along the same major river. All three directions use river valleys as their strongest transportation and settlement corridors.
The differences appear once the map moves away from the water. Hills rise on both sides of the Muskingum near Beverly. North of Belpre, Route 339 and local creeks cross rolling uplands. North of Newport, high eastern ridges and the Little Muskingum drainage create some of the county’s most tightly folded terrain.
Marietta itself is also a river-bottom city surrounded by slopes. The county’s official trail list includes relatively level riverfront routes such as the Marietta River Trail and Muskingum Park, while nearby off-road trail areas enter much steeper terrain. Reading the road, water, and elevation maps together makes this rapid transition from riverfront to hill country clear.
Choose the map that matches roads, rivers, or terrain
Use the general county map when you need Marietta, Belpre, Beverly, Newport, I-77, Route 7, Route 60, and the major state roads together. The city-distribution map is cleaner when the main task is comparing the six highlighted communities. Choose the water map for the Ohio and Muskingum confluence, the Little Muskingum River, the Little Hocking River, and the dense tributary network.
The elevation map is the strongest choice for comparing low river corridors with the eastern and northeastern ridge 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
Is Marietta on the Ohio River or the Muskingum River?
It is on both. Marietta sits where the Muskingum River reaches the Ohio River. The water map shows the confluence most clearly, while the general map adds I-77, Route 7, and Route 60 around the same lowland.
Where is the highest terrain concentrated in Washington County?
The supplied elevation map shows especially extensive high ridges in the eastern and northeastern interior. The Little Muskingum River and its tributaries cut low green valleys through those uplands, while the Ohio and Muskingum river corridors are much lower.
Can the 177–366 meter elevation range be used for surveying?
No. The elevation layer is intended for county-scale comparison of river valleys and ridges. 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 Washington County general map, city distribution map, water map, and elevation map.
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and references
- Official Washington County, Ohio website – county government and local information centered in Marietta
- Marietta-Washington County CVB · History – Marietta’s Ohio–Muskingum confluence and regional history
- Washington County · Tracks and Trails – Marietta River Trail, Muskingum Park, and other local trail resources
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – county boundaries and geographic reference data
- USGS National Hydrography – rivers, streams, and hydrography 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.
