Every Lake
Lake McDonough
A reservoir built to give the Farmington River its water back, mile for mile.
- 12 ft · first step
- 24 ft
- 36 ft
- 48 ft
- 60 ft
- 72 ft · bottom
About Lake McDonough
Lake McDonough sits in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, next to the much larger Barkhamsted Reservoir behind Saville Dam. It was built as a compensating reservoir: when the Metropolitan District Commission dammed the Farmington River's west branch to supply drinking water to Hartford, regulators required a way to keep water flowing downstream to the river below. Lake McDonough receives that released water and re-releases it, keeping the Farmington's flow steady for the towns and fish downstream.
Unlike the reservoir it serves, Lake McDonough is open to the public for swimming, boating, and fishing, with a beach and boat launch run by the MDC. Motors are limited to low horsepower, which keeps it a paddling and light-boat lake rather than a wake-sport destination. It draws day-trippers from Hartford and the Farmington Valley towns, and anglers work it for bass, trout, and panfish stocked under the MDC's recreation program.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 43 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.
Lake McDonough depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake McDonough depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 12 ft, 24 ft, 36 ft, 48 ft, 60 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 72 ft. The lake covers about 3.6 square miles, and 43 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 McDonough 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 McDonough 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 McDonough.
Lake McDonough 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 McDonough; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake McDonough 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 72 ft
- 3.6 square miles of water
- 43 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
