Every Lake
Shenipsit Lake
A Hartford drinking-water reservoir where only electric motors are allowed on the water.
- 10 ft · first step
- 21 ft
- 31 ft
- 41 ft
- 52 ft
- 62 ft · bottom
About Shenipsit Lake
Shenipsit Lake sits across Tolland, Vernon, and Ellington in northern Connecticut. It is a reservoir, built and still held by the region's water authority to supply drinking water to greater Hartford. Because of that role, the lake carries protections most Connecticut lakes don't: no gasoline engines, and shoreline development kept to a minimum. The name comes from a Native word associated with the area, carried over from the land before the reservoir existed.
The lake draws anglers more than any other crowd. It is stocked with trout and holds populations of bass and other panfish, and the electric-motor-only rule keeps it quiet enough that fishing from small boats and kayaks is the dominant use of the water. The surrounding shoreline is mostly wooded and undeveloped, a function of its status as a protected water-supply source rather than a lake ringed with private docks and cottages.
- 20 roads engraved around the shore, 2 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.
Shenipsit Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Shenipsit Lake 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 0.8 square miles, and 20 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 Shenipsit 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 Shenipsit 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 Shenipsit Lake.
Shenipsit 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 Shenipsit Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Shenipsit 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.
- 6 depth layers down to 62 ft
- 0.8 square miles of water
- 20 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
