Every Lake
Barr Lake
Named for a Denver hardware merchant, built to store South Platte irrigation water in the 1880s.
- 10 ft · first step
- 21 ft
- 31 ft
- 41 ft
- 51 ft
- 62 ft · bottom
About Barr Lake
Barr Lake sits on the plains of Adams County northeast of Denver, built in the 1880s as a storage reservoir for irrigation water drawn off the South Platte River. It carries the name of William Barr, a Denver hardware merchant and early investor in the ditch company that financed the dam. The reservoir spans roughly 1,922 acres with about 10 miles of shoreline, feeding farmland downstream through a network of canals rather than filling from a natural inflow.
By the mid-1900s, wastewater and industrial runoff from Denver had turned Barr Lake into one of the state's most polluted bodies of water, and it stayed that way for decades. Cleanup efforts and treatment upgrades through the 1970s brought the lake back, and Colorado opened Barr Lake State Park soon after. Today it's known chiefly for its bald eagles, which nest along the shoreline every winter and draw birders from across the Front Range. A perimeter trail circles the lake for hikers and cyclists, while anglers fish for walleye and crappie and boaters keep to no-wake, electric-motor-only stretches near Brighton.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 255 roads engraved around the shore, 4 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.
Barr Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Barr Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 10 ft, 21 ft, 31 ft, 41 ft, 51 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 62 ft. The lake covers about 3.1 square miles, and 255 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 Barr 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 Barr 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 Barr Lake.
Barr 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 Barr Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Barr 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 62 ft
- 3.1 square miles of water
- 255 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
