Every Lake
Clair Engle Lake
Named for a senator, filled behind a 1962 dam, still called Trinity Lake by most maps.
- 17 ft · first step
- 35 ft
- 52 ft
- 69 ft
- 87 ft
- 104 ft · bottom
About Clair Engle Lake
Trinity Dam was completed in 1962 by the Bureau of Reclamation, blocking the Trinity River in northern California's Trinity County. The reservoir behind it was officially named Clair Engle Lake, after the California senator who died in 1964, though the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and most local usage still favor Trinity Lake. It was built as part of the Central Valley Project, storing water that is later diverted east through the Clear Creek Tunnel toward the Sacramento River watershed for irrigation and municipal use.
The lake sits at the base of the Trinity Alps, a short drive from Weaverville, and is reached from Redding to the east. It draws houseboaters, anglers, and campers from the Sacramento Valley and the Bay Area, with several marinas renting boats along its shoreline. Compared to nearby Shasta Lake, it sees lighter traffic and fewer developed resorts, and much of its perimeter borders national forest land rather than towns.
- 12 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 166 roads engraved around the shore, 0 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Clair Engle Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Clair Engle Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 35 ft, 52 ft, 69 ft, 87 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 104 ft. The lake covers about 23.3 square miles, and 166 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Clair Engle Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Clair Engle Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Clair Engle Lake.
Clair Engle Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Clair Engle Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Clair Engle Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 104 ft
- 23.3 square miles of water
- 166 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
