Every Lake
Gross Reservoir
South Boulder Creek backed up behind a dam built in 1954, raised higher seventy years later.
- 16 ft · first step
- 32 ft
- 48 ft
- 64 ft
- 80 ft
- 96 ft · bottom
About Gross Reservoir
Gross Dam went up on South Boulder Creek in 1954, built by Denver Water and named for local engineer Dexter Gross. The reservoir sits in the foothills west of Boulder, Colorado, within Boulder County, and stores water that reaches it in part through Denver Water's Moffat Collection System. In the 2020s, Denver Water raised the dam's height to expand storage capacity, a project that faced years of opposition from residents and environmental groups over its effects on South Boulder Creek downstream.
Boaters, anglers, and windsurfers use the reservoir under rules set by Denver Water, which limits swimming and motor speeds because the lake doubles as a drinking-water source for the city. The nearest settlement is Pinecliffe, a small community along Colorado Highway 72; Boulder lies roughly a dozen miles east down the canyon. Surrounding land falls within the Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest, and most visitors come up from the Front Range for a day rather than keeping a permanent place on the water.
- 3 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.
Gross Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Gross Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 16 ft, 32 ft, 48 ft, 64 ft, 80 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 96 ft. The lake covers about 0.5 square miles, and 3 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 Gross 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 Gross 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 Gross Reservoir.
Gross 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 Gross Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Gross 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 96 ft
- 0.5 square miles of water
- 3 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
