Every Lake
Fontana Lake
North Carolina's deepest lake, under the tallest dam east of the Mississippi.
- 18 ft · first step
- 37 ft
- 55 ft
- 74 ft
- 92 ft
- 111 ft · bottom
About Fontana Lake
Fontana Lake was built during World War II, filling in 1944 when the Tennessee Valley Authority closed Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River to power aluminum production for the war effort. At 480 feet, Fontana is the tallest dam east of the Mississippi, and the lake behind it is North Carolina's deepest, at up to 440 feet. Filling it meant flooding several communities and displacing more than a thousand families; the road promised to replace the one lost still stops after six miles at a tunnel locals call the Road to Nowhere. Bryson City is the gateway to the lake and the Smokies beyond it.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 710 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.
Fontana Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Fontana Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 18 ft, 37 ft, 55 ft, 74 ft, 92 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 111 ft. The lake covers about 11.4 square miles, and 710 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 Fontana 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 Fontana 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 Fontana Lake.
Fontana 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 Fontana Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Fontana 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 111 ft
- 11.4 square miles of water
- 710 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
