“Mount Ellen,” produced by the United States Geological Survey, presents the Sugarbush region of Vermont in the precise 1:24,000 language of mid-century American topography. Dated 1971 and carrying a 1972 imprint, the map captures a moment when the Green Mountains were being read not only as rugged terrain, but as a landscape of recreation, access, and expanding resort culture. Its subject is one of Vermont’s most evocative mountain districts: Mount Ellen and the surrounding valleys, ridges, brooks, roads, and settlements that shape the Mad River country. The familiar USGS palette and disciplined contour work lend the map both scientific authority and quiet beauty, translating steep slopes, wooded highlands, and mountain drainage into an elegant cartographic portrait.

The US Geological Survey brought to maps like this a rigor that made them indispensable to engineers, hikers, land managers, and local planners alike. By the early 1970s, the USGS topographic quadrangle had become a standard instrument for understanding American landscapes at a practical and intimate scale. Here, contour lines articulate the rise and fall of the Green Mountains with remarkable clarity, revealing how ridges fold into valleys and how streams gather force as they descend toward the Mad River. Roads, trails, buildings, and named features are carefully integrated into the terrain, giving the viewer a sense not merely of location, but of movement through a mountainous Vermont landscape.

Sugarbush is the map’s cultural and recreational focal point, appearing within a region whose modern identity is deeply tied to skiing, mountain tourism, and four-season outdoor life. In 1971, Sugarbush Resort was already an important destination, and the map records the infrastructure that connected the mountain to nearby communities such as Waitsfield, East Warren, and Lincoln. Ski trails, access roads, and mountain routes sit within a much older physical geography of ridgelines, ravines, and forested slopes. This juxtaposition is part of the map’s fascination: it shows the resort not as an isolated attraction, but as a carefully fitted human presence within the demanding contours of the Green Mountains.

Hydrology gives the map much of its underlying structure. The Mad River and its tributaries, including Glen Brook and Davis Brook, trace the logic of the landscape, cutting through valleys and helping define the routes by which people move through the region. Lakes, ponds, and smaller water features add texture to the mountainous setting, while the contour intervals make clear how dramatically elevation governs settlement and travel. Mount Ellen itself anchors the composition, its slopes rendered through dense rings of elevation that suggest both mass and ascent. Nearby ridges and valleys contribute to a broader sense of Vermont’s high country, where geography is intimate, steep, and richly varied.

As a historical document, “Mount Ellen” preserves the Sugarbush area at a particularly interesting stage in its development. The early 1970s marked a period when Vermont’s ski economy, rural road networks, and conservation awareness were all reshaping perceptions of the mountain landscape. Compared with contemporary maps, this USGS sheet invites close study of changing roads, resort facilities, land use, and settlement patterns around Waitsfield, Lincoln, and East Warren. Yet its appeal is not only documentary. The map’s measured typography, restrained color, and finely drawn contours create a composed visual field in which science and landscape meet. It is a refined record of one of Vermont’s most beloved mountain regions.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Sugarbush
• Lincoln
• Waitsfield
• Mt. Ellen
• East Warren
• Mad River
• Glen Brook
• Sugarbush Resort
• Davis Brook
• Camel's Hump
• Valleys and ridges within the Green Mountains
• Various lakes and ponds near Sugarbush
• Ski trails and access roads associated with skiing and recreational activities
• Other topographic features and geographic landmarks noted throughout the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map of the Sugarbush area in Vermont.
• Dated 1971, with a 1972 imprint.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, known for detailed topographic mapping based on extensive survey data.
• Uses traditional topographic rendering, including contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Employs color and shading to represent varied terrain.
• Depicts a mountainous Green Mountains landscape, including elevations, valleys, ridges, and peaks.
• Serves as a historical reference for studying geographical and infrastructure changes in the area since 1971.

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.