Every Lake
Don Pedro Reservoir
The 1971 dam that drowned the original 1923 Don Pedro Dam on the Tuolumne.
- 19 ft · first step
- 38 ft
- 56 ft
- 75 ft
- 94 ft
- 113 ft · bottom
About Don Pedro Reservoir
New Don Pedro Dam went up on the Tuolumne River in 1971, replacing a smaller dam built in 1923 a few miles downstream. The rising reservoir submerged that earlier dam along with the original town of Don Pedro, which had grown up around gold mining in the 1850s. The project is jointly owned and operated by the Turlock Irrigation District and the Modesto Irrigation District, which use it to store water for Central Valley farms and to generate hydroelectric power. The dam sits near La Grange, in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Modesto.
Don Pedro draws houseboaters and bass anglers from across the Central Valley, with marinas at Fleming Meadows and Blue Oaks on the northern shore. Its reservoir status keeps water levels for boating and fishing tied to the region's water year, dropping the shoreline back during dry stretches. The lake sits mostly in Tuolumne County, along the Stanislaus County line, southeast of Modesto and northeast of Merced. Bass tournaments run through spring and summer, and the surrounding foothill terrain of oak woodland and grassland draws campers to the shoreline parks operated by the irrigation districts.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 284 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.
Don Pedro Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Don Pedro Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 19 ft, 38 ft, 56 ft, 75 ft, 94 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 113 ft. The lake covers about 17.4 square miles, and 284 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 Don Pedro Reservoir 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 Don Pedro Reservoir 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 Don Pedro Reservoir.
Don Pedro Reservoir 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 Don Pedro Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Don Pedro Reservoir 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 113 ft
- 17.4 square miles of water
- 284 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
