Every Lake
Vail Lake
Temecula Creek, dammed in 1948, holds bass records anglers still chase.
- 8 ft · first step
- 17 ft
- 25 ft
- 33 ft
- 42 ft
- 50 ft · bottom
About Vail Lake
Vail Lake sits on Temecula Creek in southwestern Riverside County, formed when the Vail family dammed the creek in 1948 to store water for the cattle ranch they had run in the valley since the early 1900s. The reservoir took the family name and became the centerpiece of what had been open rangeland between the Palomar foothills and the town of Temecula. Construction predated the wine country and housing tracts that later filled the valley below it.
The lake has stayed under private ownership rather than public park management, and access has long run through day-use permits and an attached campground rather than open shoreline. That arrangement, combined with limited boat traffic, helped it build a reputation among Southern California anglers for large, old bass, including catches reported in the twenty-pound range that drew fishing writers and record-chasers to it for decades. The surrounding hills remain mostly undeveloped chaparral.
- 1 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Vail Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Vail Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 17 ft, 25 ft, 33 ft, 42 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 50 ft. The lake covers about 1.0 square miles, and 1 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 Vail 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 Vail 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 Vail Lake.
Vail 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 Vail Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Vail 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 50 ft
- 1.0 square miles of water
- 1 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
