Published in 1971 using survey data from 1969, the United States Geological Survey’s “Sedona” captures one of Arizona’s most dramatic landscapes at a pivotal moment in its modern history. This 1:24,000 topographical map presents Sedona and its surrounding country with the precision and restraint characteristic of USGS quadrangles: contour lines trace the sculptural rise and fall of mesas, buttes, canyons, and creek bottoms, while roads, trails, watercourses, and forest boundaries reveal the human and natural framework of the region. The date is especially evocative, showing Sedona before much of the late-twentieth-century expansion that transformed it into an internationally known destination for red rock scenery, outdoor recreation, and spiritual tourism.

The United States Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the nation’s great scientific cartographer of terrain, water, minerals, hazards, and landforms. Its maps were never merely navigational aids; they were instruments of public knowledge, designed to make the American landscape legible to engineers, foresters, geologists, planners, and explorers. In the “Sedona” quadrangle, that institutional clarity is evident in the disciplined use of contour intervals, hydrographic detail, land classification, and standardized symbols. The result is a map that balances scientific authority with visual elegance, translating a notoriously complex landscape of cliffs, washes, and forested uplands into an ordered graphic language without diminishing its grandeur.

Sedona’s celebrated red rock formations dominate the character of the map, even through the objective vocabulary of topography. The tight clustering of contour lines marks steep sandstone walls, abrupt escarpments, ridges, and isolated high points, while gentler spacing indicates valleys, benches, and open slopes. Oak Creek provides a sinuous organizing feature, cutting through the terrain and supporting the greener, more densely vegetated corridor that contrasts with the exposed rock country around it. The surrounding Coconino National Forest frames the town within a larger protected landscape, emphasizing how closely Sedona’s identity is tied to public lands, canyon scenery, and the meeting of desert, forest, and water.

The map also records a recreational geography that would become increasingly important in the decades after its publication. Roads and trails show access into the forests, valleys, hills, and scenic areas around Sedona, including the Oak Creek corridor and the landscape near what is now known as Slide Rock State Park. Rose Mountain, unnamed peaks, ridgelines, smaller drainages, and recreation sites together form a detailed portrait of a place already valued for exploration, but not yet as developed as it would later become. For hikers, climbers, photographers, and seekers of solitude, these mapped features convey the raw appeal that drew visitors long before Sedona became a global emblem of the Southwest.

Historically, the 1969 survey date places this map in an intriguing chapter of Sedona’s evolution. The town had already begun attracting artists, travelers, and outdoor enthusiasts, yet it retained a far quieter profile than the resort and retreat destination familiar today. Comparing this landscape to later decades reveals changing land use, expanding roads, new residential development, and growing tourism infrastructure along the red rock margins. The map preserves a moment when Sedona’s dramatic geology still visually outweighs its built environment, offering a measured, data-rich view of a landscape on the threshold of fame. In that sense, it is both a technical topographic document and a portrait of Arizona’s red rock country before its modern transformation.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Sedona, Arizona
• Oak Creek
• Slide Rock State Park
• Coconino National Forest
• Rose Mountain
• Various unnamed peaks and hills
• Trails and roads within the area
• Nearby valleys and smaller water bodies
• Landmarks and recreation areas around Sedona

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Sedona, Arizona and the surrounding area.
• Uses survey data from 1969 and was published with a 1971 imprint.
• Created by the USGS, an agency founded in 1879 and known for scientific mapping of natural resources, hazards, and topography.
• Shows Sedona during an earlier stage of development, before its later growth as a major tourist destination.
• Reflects the area’s distinctive red rock formations, waterways, and varied terrain.
• Uses traditional topographic styling, including contour lines, color gradients, and standardized symbols to show elevation and landforms.
• Depicts a landscape of vegetated areas, rock formations, and drainage features through contour intervals and color variation.

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.