Every Lake
Chatuge Lake
Built in 1942 when TVA dammed the Hiwassee River across the North Carolina–Georgia line.
- 20 ft · first step
- 39 ft
- 59 ft
- 78 ft
- 98 ft
- 117 ft · bottom
About Chatuge Lake
The Tennessee Valley Authority built Chatuge Dam on the Hiwassee River in 1942, flooding a valley that straddled the North Carolina–Georgia line. The reservoir covers about 5,320 acres and holds roughly 69 miles of shoreline, split between Clay County, North Carolina, and Towns County, Georgia. The dam was one of several TVA built during World War II to supply hydroelectric power to aluminum plants supporting aircraft production. The towns of Hayesville, North Carolina, and Hiawassee, Georgia, sit at opposite ends of the lake, connected by US Highway 76.
Chatuge sits in the southern Appalachians, ringed by the Nantahala and Chattahoochee national forests, and draws anglers who fish for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass along its rocky points. TVA manages water levels for downstream flow, so the shoreline rises through spring and summer and drops to expose red clay banks by fall. Retirees and second-home owners from Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas make up much of the shoreline population, running pontoon boats out of marinas in Hayesville and Hiawassee. The lake reaches a modeled maximum depth of about 117 feet near the dam.
- 16 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 834 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.
Chatuge Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Chatuge Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 20 ft, 39 ft, 59 ft, 78 ft, 98 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 117 ft. The lake covers about 9.1 square miles, and 834 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 Chatuge 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 Chatuge 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 Chatuge Lake.
Chatuge 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 Chatuge Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Chatuge 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 117 ft
- 9.1 square miles of water
- 834 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
