Every Lake
Nickajack Lake
TVA dammed the Tennessee here in 1967, backing water into Chattanooga's harbor.
- 11 ft · first step
- 23 ft
- 34 ft
- 46 ft
- 57 ft
- 69 ft · bottom
About Nickajack Lake
Nickajack Lake formed in 1967 when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Nickajack Dam near Jasper, Tennessee, flooding the site of an older, smaller dam and a stretch of river valley below Chattanooga. The reservoir stretches roughly 46 miles up the Tennessee River, submerging the area around the historic Nickajack Cave, once a Civil War-era saltpeter mine and later a bat hibernaculum displaced by the rising water.
The lake runs along Chattanooga's southwestern edge, bordered by Marion and Hamilton counties, with towns like South Pittsburg and Jasper on its banks. It draws bass anglers working its river-run channel and coves, along with houseboaters and paddlers using access points near the Chattanooga metro. Its long, narrow shape follows the old river course tightly, with wide shallow flats where feeder creeks like Battle Creek and Running Water Creek enter.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 7,603 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.
Nickajack Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Nickajack Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 11 ft, 23 ft, 34 ft, 46 ft, 57 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 69 ft. The lake covers about 16.3 square miles, and 7603 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 Nickajack 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 Nickajack 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 Nickajack Lake.
Nickajack 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 Nickajack Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Nickajack 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 69 ft
- 16.3 square miles of water
- 7603 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
