Every Lake
Quail Lake
Built 1969–1973 to carry aqueduct water safely across the fault line it sits on.
- 4 ft · first step
- 8 ft
- 12 ft
- 16 ft
- 20 ft
- 24 ft · bottom
About Quail Lake
Quail Lake began as a sag pond, a natural depression formed by movement along the San Andreas Fault, in the Tehachapi Mountains near present-day Gorman. The state enlarged it between 1969 and 1973 as part of the California Aqueduct, building an embankment to hold water safely at the point where the aqueduct crosses the fault trace. The reservoir sits on the West Branch of the State Water Project, receiving flows released from the Oso Pumping Plant a few miles upstream. It provides regulatory storage for the Castaic and William E. Warne powerplants downstream.
Quail Lake lies along State Route 138 near Gorman, at the edge of the Tehachapi Mountains close to the Los Angeles-Kern county line, within driving distance of Lancaster in the Antelope Valley. Anglers fish it for stocked trout, and travelers on nearby Interstate 5 stop at the state's day-use area and boat launch. Because it fills a fault-line depression rather than a river canyon, the lake is shallow and elongated, running along the rift zone rather than pooling behind a single dam wall.
- 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.
Quail Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Quail Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 4 ft, 8 ft, 12 ft, 16 ft, 20 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 24 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Quail 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 Quail 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 Quail Lake.
Quail 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 Quail Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Quail 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 24 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
