Every Lake
Thompsons Lake
104 acres, two miles of shoreline, set under the Helderberg escarpment twenty miles west of Albany.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 31 ft
- 39 ft
- 46 ft · bottom
About Thompsons Lake
Thompson's Lake sits in the town of Berne, Albany County, New York, at the base of the Helderberg escarpment roughly twenty miles west of Albany. The lake covers about 104 acres with close to two miles of shoreline. It lies inside Thompson's Lake State Park, a New York facility run alongside the larger John Boyd Thacher State Park nearby. A public boat launch, swimming beach, and campground keep the park in regular use through the warmer months. Modeled depth reaches close to 46 feet at its deepest point.
Anglers fish the lake for largemouth bass and panfish, working the shoreline from small boats and the bank. East Berne and Altamont are the closest hamlets, with Voorheesville and Albany within a short drive. The surrounding Helderberg region is limestone country, known for its escarpment cliffs and nearby cave systems that draw hikers and geologists. Visitors tend to be day-trippers and weekend campers rather than second-home owners, and the lake stays smaller in scale than the larger lakes farther north in the Adirondacks.
- 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.
Thompsons Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Thompsons Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 31 ft, 39 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 46 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Thompsons 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 Thompsons 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 Thompsons Lake.
Thompsons 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 Thompsons Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Thompsons 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.
- 6 depth layers down to 46 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
