Every Lake
Lake DeForest
Hackensack River dammed into a drinking-water reservoir, closed to swimmers and boats since the 1950s.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 31 ft
- 38 ft
- 46 ft · bottom
About Lake DeForest
Lake DeForest is a reservoir formed when the Hackensack Water Company dammed the Hackensack River in Rockland County, New York, creating a water-supply impoundment near New City, the county seat, with West Nyack and Bardonia along its banks. Because it follows the flooded course of the river rather than a single glacial basin, its outline is long and branching, narrower at the northern end and widening near the dam itself.
Since it supplies drinking water for the surrounding towns, the reservoir has always been managed for utility rather than leisure: no swimming and no private boats, with public access limited mostly to bank fishing at a handful of permitted spots. Much of the shoreline remains county-owned buffer land and parkland used for walking and birdwatching, which keeps development off the water in a way most Rockland County lakes are not.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 305 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Lake DeForest depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake DeForest depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 31 ft, 38 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 46 ft. The lake covers about 1.5 square miles, and 305 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 Lake DeForest 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 Lake DeForest 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 Lake DeForest.
Lake DeForest 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 Lake DeForest; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake DeForest 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 46 ft
- 1.5 square miles of water
- 305 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
