Published in 1976 from 1962 mapping, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Flagstaff West” captures northern Arizona at a revealing moment between railroad-era townscape and modern mountain city. Drawn at the precise 1:24,000 scale characteristic of USGS quadrangles, it presents Flagstaff not as a picturesque abstraction, but as a carefully measured terrain of streets, slopes, washes, ridges, roads, and forest boundaries. The map’s green shaded relief and disciplined contouring give immediate form to the high plateau setting, where urban blocks yield quickly to volcanic hills, ponderosa pine country, and open uplands. It is a richly technical portrait of place, yet also an evocative record of a community poised for expansion.

The USGS brought to this map the institutional rigor that made its topographic sheets indispensable to engineers, geologists, planners, foresters, and explorers across the United States. By the mid-twentieth century, its quadrangles had become the cartographic language of American land management, translating complex terrain into an elegant system of contours, symbols, elevations, roads, and drainage lines. In “Flagstaff West,” that language is especially compelling: every line contributes to an understanding of how the city occupies its dramatic setting below the San Francisco Peaks. The map reflects not only scientific measurement, but a national project of knowing the landscape in practical, durable detail.

Flagstaff’s geography gives the sheet much of its visual and historical power. The nearby San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s highest mountain range, dominate the regional imagination, and the map situates the city within their larger volcanic and forested realm. Coconino National Forest frames much of the surrounding country, while features such as Observatory Mesa, Willow Canyon, and the Lake Mary area suggest the variety of upland environments around the town. Contours reveal a landscape of mesas, valleys, intermittent drainages, and subtle rises rather than a simple urban grid. The result is a map that makes clear why Flagstaff has long served as both a mountain gateway and a scientific outpost.

Human history is layered across the terrain. Route 66 and the historic alignment of the Santa Fe Railroad speak to Flagstaff’s role as a transportation corridor across the American Southwest, linking desert basins, plateau forests, and distant western cities. Interstate 17, Fort Tuthill, residential neighborhoods, and civic landmarks mark the emergence of a more modern regional center. At the same time, the surrounding landscape belongs to a much older cultural world shaped by Native American presence, trade routes, sacred geography, and archaeological richness, especially in the wider region around Walnut Canyon and the San Francisco Peaks. The map’s restrained symbols quietly hold these overlapping histories together.

Seen today, “Flagstaff West” is particularly fascinating as a benchmark against later growth. Since the 1960s, Flagstaff has expanded substantially, with new neighborhoods, infrastructure, recreation areas, and public lands management concerns reshaping the urban edge. Yet this map preserves the city before many of those transformations fully took hold, when forest, mesa, and open ground pressed more closely against town. Its depiction of roads, rail, water features, and contours offers a precise historical baseline for understanding development in northern Arizona. For collectors, it is more than a topographic document: it is a measured portrait of Flagstaff’s landscape, identity, and transition in the late twentieth century.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Flagstaff
• San Francisco Peaks
• Coconino National Forest
• Lake Mary
• Route 66
• Interstate 17
• Willow Canyon
• Fort Tuthill County Park
• The Arboretum at Flagstaff
• Observatory Mesa
• Upper Lake Mary
• Lower Lake Mary
• Walnut Canyon
• Oak Creek Canyon
• Bellrock Mountain
• Snowbowl Ski Resort
• Continental Divide Trail
• Historical Route of the Santa Fe Railroad
• Various residential neighborhoods and landmarks within Flagstaff

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map.
• Dated 1962, with a 1976 imprint.
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, an agency known for scientific mapping, land-use data, and resource-management information.
• Uses green shaded relief to depict elevation.
• Includes contour lines to show topographical features and terrain changes.
• Shows a varied landscape of mountainous areas, valleys, bodies of water, and both urban and rural spaces.
• Reflects Flagstaff before later expansion and urbanization significantly changed the local landscape and demographics.

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.