Every Lake
Blue Mesa Reservoir
Colorado's largest body of water, twenty miles of the Gunnison River backed into the mesas.
- 21 ft · first step
- 41 ft
- 62 ft
- 82 ft
- 103 ft
- 123 ft · bottom
About Blue Mesa Reservoir
Blue Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest lake by surface area, formed when the Bureau of Reclamation completed Blue Mesa Dam on the Gunnison River in 1966, the first of three dams that make up Curecanti National Recreation Area. The lake stretches about 20 miles through sagebrush mesas west of Gunnison, covering more than 9,000 acres and reaching depths near 300 feet near the dam. Its cold water holds some of the best kokanee salmon and lake trout fishing in the state, and an annual salmon derby draws anglers from across the region each fall.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 55 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.
Blue Mesa Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Blue Mesa Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 21 ft, 41 ft, 62 ft, 82 ft, 103 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 123 ft. The lake covers about 12.3 square miles, and 55 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 Blue Mesa 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 Blue Mesa 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Blue Mesa 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Blue Mesa 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 123 ft
- 12.3 square miles of water
- 55 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
