Every Lake
Lake Lowell
A Bureau of Reclamation reservoir built for Boise Valley farms, now shared with wintering waterfowl.
- 16 ft · first step
- 32 ft
- 48 ft
- 64 ft
- 80 ft
- 95 ft · bottom
About Lake Lowell
Lake Lowell holds irrigation water for the Boise Project, an early Bureau of Reclamation effort to turn southwestern Idaho's sagebrush plains into farmland. Engineers dammed water diverted from the Boise River through the New York Canal, filling a natural basin west of Nampa. The reservoir went into service in the early 1900s, and the surrounding wetlands were set aside soon after as the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, one of the oldest refuges in the federal system, created to protect migratory birds drawn to the new open water.
The lake sits between Nampa and Caldwell, ringed by orchards, dairies, and irrigated row crops that depend on the same water it stores. Boaters, water-skiers, and anglers use the open water in summer, while the refuge's coves and mudflats draw hunters during waterfowl season and birdwatchers year-round, since the site hosts some of the largest wintering duck and goose concentrations in the region. Unlike a lake carved by ice or a river valley, Lake Lowell formed behind earthen dams built for storage, so its broad, shallow-sloping shoreline follows old irrigation engineering rather than natural terrain.
- 1,116 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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 Lowell depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Lowell depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 16 ft, 32 ft, 48 ft, 64 ft, 80 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 95 ft. The lake covers about 10.9 square miles, and 1116 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 Lowell 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 Lowell 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 Lowell.
Lake Lowell 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 Lowell; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Lowell 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 95 ft
- 10.9 square miles of water
- 1116 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
