Every Lake
Donner Lake
Three miles of Sierra water below Donner Pass, named for the winter of 1846.
- 54 ft · first step
- 109 ft
- 163 ft
- 217 ft
- 272 ft
- 328 ft · bottom
About Donner Lake
Donner Lake lies just west of Truckee, California, at 5,936 feet, about 3 miles long and up to 328 feet deep, in the granite bowl below Donner Pass. It was the last stop for the Donner Party in the winter of 1846–47, when snow trapped the wagon train at the lake's east end.
The transcontinental railroad's snowsheds climbed the wall above the lake in 1868, and Interstate 80 still follows the same route. Donner Memorial State Park holds the east shore; the west end's private piers line the old Lincoln Highway.
- 76 roads engraved around the shore, 7 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.
Donner Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Donner Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 54 ft, 109 ft, 163 ft, 217 ft, 272 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 328 ft. The lake covers about 1.3 square miles, and 76 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 Donner 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 Donner 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 Donner Lake.
Donner 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 Donner Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Donner 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 328 ft
- 1.3 square miles of water
- 76 shore roads engraved, 7 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
