Every Lake
Butler Reservoir
131 acres and three miles of shoreline in the hills above Paterson, New Jersey.
- 5 ft · first step
- 10 ft
- 15 ft
- 20 ft
- 25 ft
- 31 ft · bottom
About Butler Reservoir
Butler Reservoir is an impounded lake in the hills of northern New Jersey, west of Paterson. Its modeled maximum depth is about 31 feet, modest compared to natural glacial lakes, and its full shoreline runs roughly three miles around a compact 131-acre basin. Like many reservoirs built into the region's rocky highlands, its shape follows the flooded valley rather than a natural basin, giving it a narrower, more irregular outline than a lake carved by ice.
The surrounding land mixes wooded hillsides with houses set back from the water, typical of small water-supply and recreational reservoirs in this part of New Jersey. Its size keeps it quieter than the larger lakes further west in the state, drawing local anglers after bass and pickerel and residents who paddle rather than run large boats. Paterson, a few miles east, remains the nearest city of any size, with the reservoir itself sitting apart in a smaller, more rural corner of the county.
- 15 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.
Butler Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Butler Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 5 ft, 10 ft, 15 ft, 20 ft, 25 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 31 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles, and 15 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 Butler Reservoir 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 Butler Reservoir 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 Butler Reservoir.
Butler Reservoir 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 Butler Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Butler Reservoir 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 31 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- 15 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
