Notice the white area around the summit of Elk Mountain (next to the left border) indicates an area without vegetation such as rock outcroppings. In the map above, green identifies that the terrain around Elk Lake is heavily forested (vegetation). – Purple – reflect revisions to a map but is no longer used on maps in production – Red – Highways and major roads, Township/Range/Section information – Black – man-made/cultural features (buildings, place names, boundary lines, roads, etc.) – Brown – contour lines (elevation information) – Blue – water (streams, lakes, permanent snow fields and glaciers, etc.) Colors represent natural and man-made features of the earth.Ĭoupled with contour lines, colors add fabric to the features and terrain. Map detail includes important information about elevation, water, structures, trails, ground cover and roads and much more.Ĭolors stand out from the map and provide identification to many features such as vegetation and water. These details may not be found in gazetteers or travel guides. Colors and symbols add the detail unique to a topographic map. Topographic maps have unique markings that make them technically useful on the trail.

The long dark mountain town map