The Windows Section, published in 2002 from 1996 mapping, presents one of the most celebrated landscapes of the American Southwest through the exacting language of the U.S. Geological Survey. At 1:24,000 scale, this provisional topographic map focuses on Arches National Park, Utah, where stone fins, desert basins, and sculpted sandstone openings form an extraordinary terrain of natural monuments. Its title refers to the Windows Section, among the park’s most iconic districts, famed for paired arches, open slickrock, and sweeping views toward the La Sal Mountains. The “Provisional” designation gives the map additional historical interest, capturing a working state of federal cartographic knowledge at a moment when tourism, conservation, and scientific study were all reshaping understanding of this fragile desert landscape.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map more than a century of institutional authority in measuring, classifying, and representing the American land. Founded in 1879, the USGS became indispensable to explorers, engineers, geologists, park managers, and travelers by turning complex terrain into legible, standardized topographic sheets. Here, contour lines, elevation figures, road classifications, trails, water features, and color-coded land cover combine to create a dense but elegant portrait of canyon country. The cartography is practical, yet beautiful: each brown contour traces the subtle rise of slickrock domes and sandstone ridges, while greens and blues mark vegetation and scarce water in an environment defined as much by absence as by presence.

Arches National Park is the central drama of the map, and its named landmarks read like a catalogue of geological marvels. The Windows Section, Garden of Eden, Courthouse Towers, Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and Devils Garden evoke a terrain shaped over millions of years by salt movement, uplift, erosion, and the weathering of Entrada sandstone. These names also reveal the imaginative encounter between modern visitors and an ancient landscape, where rock formations suggest architecture, gardens, monuments, and improbable natural sculpture. The map allows the viewer to follow roads and trails through this open-air gallery, connecting famous arches with quieter washes, ridgelines, and desert flats that make the park far larger and more intricate than its postcard views.

Beyond the arches themselves, the map records the broader geography that gives the park its power. Salt Valley appears as a defining structural feature, its elongated basin tied to the region’s deep geological history and the underground salt deposits that helped fracture and shape the overlying sandstone. Toward the horizon, the La Sal Mountains provide a dramatic contrast: high, cool, and alpine against the arid plateaus around Moab Valley. The Colorado River, though not shown in full, belongs to the same regional story of incision and erosion, carving the larger canyonlands of southeastern Utah. Scattered creeks, ponds, vegetation patches, and dry channels emphasize the preciousness of water in this semi-arid environment.

As a late twentieth-century map, The Windows Section preserves a revealing moment in the management and popular experience of Arches National Park. By the 1990s, the park had become a major destination for hiking, photography, geology, and scenic driving, while federal agencies faced growing responsibilities in protecting delicate formations and desert ecosystems from increasing visitation. Roads and trails shown here are not merely navigational details; they trace the evolving relationship between public access and preservation. The provisional nature of the sheet underscores that maps are never static objects, but records of knowledge at a particular time. This is a compelling cartographic portrait of a landscape where science, wilderness, recreation, and deep geological time meet.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Arches National Park
• Windows Section
• Delicate Arch
• Landscape Arch
• Garden of Eden
• Devils Garden
• Salt Valley
• Courthouse Towers
• La Sal Mountains
• Moab Valley
• Colorado River
• Roadways and trails
• Vegetation areas and water features, including creeks and ponds

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• Dated 1996 with a 2002 imprint
• Marked with the special designation “Provisional”
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, a U.S. government scientific agency known for topographic, geologic, and hydrologic mapping
• Features standard topographic symbols, including contour lines, elevation markers, and shaded relief
• Uses color to differentiate landforms and vegetation types
• Shows terrain elevation changes, vegetation cover, and man-made structures typical of arid and semi-arid environments
• Reflects late-1990s geographical knowledge and land-use planning in the area
• Documents a period before later changes in land management, tourism infrastructure, and environmental conservation around the park

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.