Every Lake
Seneca Lake
The deepest of the Finger Lakes — 618 feet — and the one that never quite freezes.
- 77 ft · first step
- 155 ft
- 232 ft
- 309 ft
- 386 ft
- 464 ft
- 541 ft
- 618 ft · bottom
About Seneca Lake
Seneca is the largest and deepest of the Finger Lakes, 38 miles long and 618 feet deep, gouged by glaciers that turned river valleys into troughs and then dammed them with debris. It is so deep that it rarely freezes and holds enough warmth to give the vineyards on its slopes the longest growing season in the region — which is why the Seneca Lake Wine Trail wraps it.
Watkins Glen sits at the south end below its gorge and its racetrack; Geneva at the north with its lakefront colleges. In between, the depth has drawn stranger tenants: the U.S. Navy has tested sonar in the lake's deep water since the 1940s, and residents have long reported the "Seneca guns," unexplained booms that roll across the water on still days.
The Seneca Nation, for whom the lake is named, held this country until the Sullivan campaign of 1779; the towns that followed kept the classical names — Geneva, Ovid, Romulus, Dresden — that mark the lake's shore today.
- Geneva, Watkins Glen, Dresden, Lodi, Ovid
- Routes 14 and 414 the full length of both shores
- A depth profile that drops like a cliff
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.
Seneca Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Seneca Lake depth chart you can hang: 8 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 77 ft, 155 ft, 232 ft, 309 ft, 386 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 618 ft. The lake covers about 67.5 square miles, and 1931 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 Seneca 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 Seneca 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 Seneca Lake.
Seneca 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 Seneca Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Seneca 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.
- 8 depth layers down to 618 ft
- 67.5 square miles of water
- 1931 shore roads engraved, 7 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
