Every Lake
Apalachia Lake
A TVA dam built in 1943 sends the Hiwassee through a nine-mile tunnel before it resurfaces.
- 13 ft · first step
- 25 ft
- 38 ft
- 50 ft
- 63 ft
- 75 ft · bottom
About Apalachia Lake
The Tennessee Valley Authority built Apalachia Dam on the Hiwassee River between 1941 and 1943, backing water into a channel that follows the river's original gorge rather than spreading across open land. Water from the reservoir runs through a nine-mile tunnel to a powerhouse downstream near Farner, Tennessee, before the river continues on the surface. The dam was one of several TVA projects built in the region during World War II to supply power for aluminum production.
The lake sits along the North Carolina–Tennessee line near Murphy, North Carolina, in terrain too steep for much shoreline development. Its narrow, winding shape reflects the river valley it fills, with depths reaching about 75 feet in a channel that rarely exceeds a few hundred yards across. Anglers fish it for smallmouth bass and walleye, and the surrounding Nantahala and Cherokee national forest land keeps the shoreline mostly wooded and undeveloped.
- 14 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 531 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Apalachia Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Apalachia Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 13 ft, 25 ft, 38 ft, 50 ft, 63 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 75 ft. The lake covers about 5.4 square miles, and 531 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 Apalachia 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 Apalachia 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 Apalachia Lake.
Apalachia 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 Apalachia Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Apalachia 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 75 ft
- 5.4 square miles of water
- 531 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
