Every Lake
Lake Welch
Dammed in the 1930s by the CCC to give New York City a beach three miles around.
- 8 ft · first step
- 16 ft
- 24 ft
- 32 ft
- 40 ft
- 49 ft · bottom
About Lake Welch
Lake Welch sits inside Harriman State Park, roughly 40 miles northwest of New York City, formed in the 1930s when Civilian Conservation Corps crews dammed Stony Brook under direction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The project was part of a broader New Deal push to build recreation grounds within reach of city residents who otherwise had little access to open countryside. Workers cleared the valley, graded a beach along the shoreline, and built bathhouses and picnic groves from local stone and timber, matching the rustic style used across the park system.
The lake covers about 215 acres with roughly three miles of shoreline and a maximum depth near 49 feet, shallow enough that swimming, not boating, has always been the main draw. Lake Welch Beach grew into one of the larger inland beaches in the state park system, pulling day-trippers from Rockland County and from northern New Jersey towns like Paterson, many arriving by bus before most families owned cars. Motorboats are barred from the water, so canoes and rowboats share the lake with swimmers, and surrounding trails see the same weekend crowd.
- 6 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.
Lake Welch depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Welch depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 16 ft, 24 ft, 32 ft, 40 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 49 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 6 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 Welch 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 Welch 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 Welch.
Lake Welch 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 Welch; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Welch 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 49 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 6 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
