Every Lake
Watauga Lake
Watauga Dam flooded the town of Butler in 1948, forcing its relocation to higher ground.
- 18 ft · first step
- 36 ft
- 55 ft
- 73 ft
- 91 ft
- 109 ft · bottom
About Watauga Lake
The Tennessee Valley Authority built Watauga Dam on the Watauga River in the late 1940s for flood control and hydroelectric power. Filling the reservoir meant flooding the original town of Butler, Tennessee, whose residents moved buildings and cemeteries to higher ground before the water rose, founding a new Butler nearby. The dam sits near Hampton and Elizabethton, in the mountains of Carter and Johnson counties, close to Johnson City. The lake follows a narrow, forked river valley rather than an open basin, giving it long fingers of shoreline against the surrounding ridges of Cherokee National Forest.
Watauga Lake is known for clear water, a result of granite and other hard rock in its watershed limiting sediment runoff, and it draws scuba divers as well as boaters. Its shoreline hosts vacation cabins, campgrounds, and marinas rather than dense development, with the Appalachian Trail crossing near the dam and running along a ridge above the eastern end. Anglers fish it for smallmouth bass, walleye, and trout. Johnson City and Elizabethton, both around 20 miles away, supply most of the weekend traffic on the water.
- 22 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 331 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.
Watauga Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Watauga Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 18 ft, 36 ft, 55 ft, 73 ft, 91 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 109 ft. The lake covers about 8.9 square miles, and 331 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga Lake.
Watauga 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 Watauga Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Watauga 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 109 ft
- 8.9 square miles of water
- 331 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
