Every Lake
Falls Lake
Raleigh's reservoir on the Neuse, twenty-eight miles of flooded river valley.
- 9 ft · first step
- 19 ft
- 28 ft
- 37 ft
- 47 ft
- 56 ft · bottom
About Falls Lake
Falls Lake was built by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Neuse River, with the dam completed in 1981 after repeated flooding had damaged towns downstream. It stretches about 28 miles upstream from the dam near Wake Forest, covering roughly 12,400 acres with 175 miles of shoreline through Wake, Durham and Granville counties. The lake takes its name from the Falls of the Neuse, a whitewater stretch of the river now underwater. It also serves as Raleigh's primary drinking water source, with Sandling Beach, Beaverdam and B.W. Wells among the main recreation areas around it.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 3,935 roads engraved around the shore, 3 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.
Falls Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Falls Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 19 ft, 28 ft, 37 ft, 47 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 56 ft. The lake covers about 16.3 square miles, and 3935 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 Falls 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 Falls 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 Falls Lake.
Falls 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 Falls Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Falls 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 56 ft
- 16.3 square miles of water
- 3935 shore roads engraved, 3 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
