Every Lake
Monksville Reservoir
Built in 1987, the dam put the hamlet of Monksville underwater for good.
- 6 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 19 ft
- 25 ft
- 32 ft
- 38 ft · bottom
About Monksville Reservoir
Monksville Reservoir sits on the Wanaque River in Passaic County, New Jersey, straddling the townships of Ringwood and West Milford. The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission built the dam in 1987 to hold water in reserve for the larger Wanaque Reservoir downstream. Filling the basin meant flooding the small riverside settlement of Monksville, which gave the reservoir its name. The lake now borders Long Pond Ironworks State Park, site of a 19th-century iron furnace complex that once shipped pig iron down the Ramapo Valley.
The reservoir is managed as a working water-supply lake, so boat access is limited to electric motors and no swimming is allowed. Anglers fish it for smallmouth and largemouth bass, along with pickerel and panfish, using small boats launched from the public ramp off Route 511. Bald eagles nest along the wooded shoreline, part of a small population that returned to the Ringwood area after being nearly wiped out in New Jersey by midcentury. The surrounding hills, part of the Hasenclever ironworks tract, draw hikers to trails that run along the water's edge.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 13 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.
Monksville Reservoir depth chart, in wood
This is a Monksville Reservoir depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 13 ft, 19 ft, 25 ft, 32 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 38 ft. The lake covers about 0.9 square miles, and 13 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 Monksville 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 Monksville 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 Monksville Reservoir.
Monksville 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 Monksville Reservoir; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Monksville 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 38 ft
- 0.9 square miles of water
- 13 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
