Published in 1960 from 1958 survey work, the USGS topographical map titled “Cedar Breaks” captures one of southern Utah’s most dramatic high-country landscapes at a scale of 1:62,500. Centered on Brian Head and the surrounding uplands of Iron County, the map presents a richly detailed portrait of terrain shaped by elevation, erosion, forest, and volcanic history. Its subject is the remarkable country around Cedar Breaks National Monument, where a vast natural amphitheater cuts into the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau. The title itself evokes the region’s defining spectacle: vividly eroded cliffs, hoodoos, ridges, and bowls descending from alpine heights toward valleys and drainage corridors below.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its topographic series indispensable to explorers, engineers, land managers, and outdoor travelers. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s foremost authority on systematic landscape mapping, translating complex geology and terrain into legible, standardized cartography. Here, closely spaced contour lines describe the steep rise toward Brian Head and the broken escarpments around Cedar Breaks, while gentler intervals reveal valleys, meadows, and forested slopes. Roads, trails, drainage lines, and vegetation zones are rendered with clarity, giving the map both scientific precision and an understated elegance characteristic of mid-century federal cartography.

Brian Head, now widely associated with skiing and mountain recreation, appears in its broader geographic setting: a high-elevation landmark amid ridges, peaks, timbered slopes, and volcanic terrain. The map emphasizes the physical drama that makes the area distinctive, from summit country and unnamed crests to the descent toward Parowan Valley. Lava Lake and smaller drainage features speak to the region’s geological complexity, where volcanic activity, sedimentary erosion, and alpine weathering have all left their mark. The contouring gives an immediate sense of ascent and exposure, inviting the eye to trace routes over passes, along ridgelines, and through forested basins.

Cedar Breaks National Monument is the cartographic and scenic heart of the sheet, represented not as a mere label but as a topographic phenomenon. Its amphitheater-like formation, carved from brightly colored limestone, shale, and sandstone, lies at elevations exceeding 10,000 feet, where snow, frost, and seasonal runoff continually reshape the cliffs. Though the map’s symbols are spare, they suggest a landscape of extraordinary verticality and visual contrast: dense green forest bordering abrupt breaks, high plateaus giving way to eroded walls, and open country punctuated by minor roads and trails. It is a landscape balanced between wilderness, recreation, and scientific fascination.

As a historical record, this 1958–1960 map preserves Cedar Breaks and Brian Head at a moment before the fullest modern expansion of resort infrastructure and recreational development. Its roads and trails reveal access patterns of the late 1950s, while its treatment of forests, open areas, and monument boundaries offers a valuable comparison point for later conservation and land-use history. The map belongs to an era when USGS topographic sheets were essential companions for fieldwork, travel, forestry, and public-land management. Today, its appeal lies not only in its utility, but in the way it distills a rugged Utah landscape into a beautifully ordered visual system of contours, color, and place names.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Brian Head
• Cedar Breaks National Monument
• Parowan Valley
• Iron County
• Various unnamed peaks and ridges
• Lava Lake
• Several minor roads and trails
• Forested areas within the surrounding landscape

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:62,500 scale topographical map of Brian Head, Utah, and the surrounding area
• Dated 1958, with a publication date of 1960
• Uses a typical USGS standard layout
• Shows detailed contour lines and shaded relief to indicate elevation changes
• Color coding illustrates vegetation and land use, including forests and open areas
• Highlights varied elevations, mountain ranges, valleys, and other topographically rich terrain
• Presents a historical view of the Cedar Breaks area in the late 1950s
• Useful for comparing past and present land use, development, and conservation changes
• Distinctive color palette and contour lines support outdoor navigation and exploration

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.