Every Lake
Lake Gaillard
A reservoir where the only motors allowed are electric, and the water still becomes tap water.
- 10 ft · first step
- 21 ft
- 31 ft
- 41 ft
- 52 ft
- 62 ft · bottom
About Lake Gaillard
Lake Gaillard sits in North Branford, Connecticut, a few miles north of New Haven. The lake is a drinking-water reservoir, owned and managed by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority, which supplies water to New Haven and surrounding towns. Its shoreline runs about eight miles through wooded, mostly undeveloped land, since the water authority restricts building along the banks to protect the supply. The lake covers roughly 922 acres and reaches a maximum depth near 62 feet, making it one of the larger reservoirs in the region's water system.
Because it supplies drinking water, Lake Gaillard has no swimming and no gas-powered boats; visitors fish from shore or in electric-motor boats under a permit system run by the water authority. Anglers come for largemouth bass, pickerel, and panfish in water kept clear by the absence of development and fertilizer runoff. The surrounding land, part of the water authority's protected watershed, includes trails used by hikers and birdwatchers. Towns nearby include North Branford, Northford, and Guilford, and the lake sits inland from Long Island Sound, drawing a mix of local fishermen and day visitors rather than lakefront homeowners.
- 10 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.
Lake Gaillard depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Gaillard depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 10 ft, 21 ft, 31 ft, 41 ft, 52 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 62 ft. The lake covers about 1.5 square miles, and 10 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 Lake Gaillard 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 Lake Gaillard 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 Lake Gaillard.
Lake Gaillard 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 Lake Gaillard; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Gaillard 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
- 1.5 square miles of water
- 10 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
