Every Lake
Candlewood Lake
Connecticut's largest lake, made in 1928 by pumping a river uphill — and a village still lies beneath it.
- 12 ft · first step
- 24 ft
- 36 ft
- 49 ft
- 61 ft
- 73 ft
- 85 ft · bottom
About Candlewood Lake
Candlewood is not a glacial lake. In 1926 the Connecticut Light & Power Company dammed the Rocky River valley and built the first large pumped-storage plant in the United States: at night, surplus power pushes Housatonic water up into the lake; by day it runs back down through the turbines. When the valley filled in 1928 it took farms, roads and the hamlet of Jerusalem with it, and divers still find the stone walls.
The result was 5,420 acres of water touching five towns — Danbury, Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford and Sherman — and, within a decade, the most valuable lakefront in the state. It is an hour and a half from Manhattan, which explains a great deal about its shoreline.
The name comes from Candlewood Mountain on the east shore, itself named for the pitch-pine splints the early settlers burned for light. The lake's long, branching shape, with its coves and the two big islands, is a direct print of the drowned valley.
- Danbury, Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, Sherman
- Route 7 and 39, Candlewood Lake Road
- Vaughn's Neck and the two islands
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.
Candlewood Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Candlewood Lake depth chart you can hang: 7 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 12 ft, 24 ft, 36 ft, 49 ft, 61 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 85 ft. The lake covers about 8.7 square miles, and 1349 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 Candlewood 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 Candlewood 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 Candlewood Lake.
Candlewood 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 Candlewood Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Candlewood 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.
- 7 depth layers down to 85 ft
- 8.7 square miles of water
- 1349 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
