Every Lake
Dworshak Reservoir
Built by damming the North Fork Clearwater in 1973, still without a single lakeside town.
- 42 ft · first step
- 83 ft
- 125 ft
- 167 ft
- 208 ft
- 250 ft · bottom
About Dworshak Reservoir
Dworshak Dam was completed in 1973 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, closing off the North Fork of the Clearwater River near Orofino, Idaho. At 717 feet, it is the tallest straight-axis concrete dam in North America. The reservoir it created climbs the North Fork drainage in three long, narrow fingers, reaching depths near 250 feet where the old river channel ran. Unlike lakes ringed with towns, Dworshak has almost no permanent shoreline development — most of its shore sits inside the Clearwater National Forest, reachable mainly by boat or forest road.
The reservoir is known for kokanee salmon and rainbow trout, sustained by hatchery programs the Corps built to offset fish runs blocked by the dam. Its water stays cold and clear, and record-size kokanee have come from it over the years, including past state records. Steep, forested canyon walls rise straight from the water on much of its length, so most visitors arrive by houseboat or trailer boat rather than by road. Orofino and the smaller community of Ahsahka, where the reservoir meets the main Clearwater River, serve as the main launch points for anglers, hunters, and boaters headed upriver.
- 8 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 1,442 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.
Dworshak Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Dworshak Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 42 ft, 83 ft, 125 ft, 167 ft, 208 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 250 ft. The lake covers about 21.0 square miles, and 1442 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 Dworshak 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 Dworshak 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 Dworshak Reservoir.
Dworshak 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 Dworshak Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Dworshak 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 250 ft
- 21.0 square miles of water
- 1442 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
