Every Lake
Bardwell Lake
A flood-control dam on Waxahachie Creek, fifteen miles of shoreline, thirty-eight feet at its deepest.
- 6 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 19 ft
- 25 ft
- 32 ft
- 38 ft · bottom
About Bardwell Lake
Bardwell Lake sits on Waxahachie Creek in Ellis County, Texas, formed when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a dam there in 1965. The project was built for flood control on the Trinity River watershed and to supply water to nearby towns including Ennis and Waxahachie. Unlike lakes shaped by glaciers or natural basins, Bardwell's outline follows the flooded creek channel and its tributary draws, giving it a branching, narrow shape rather than one open body of water.
The lake and the Corps parkland around it draw anglers after largemouth bass, crappie, and catfish, along with campers and boaters using the public parks along its shore. It sits within reach of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so much of its traffic is day-trip weekend use rather than a resort community. At roughly 2,900 acres with a maximum depth near 38 feet, it runs shallow and wide rather than deep, typical of the flood-control reservoirs the Corps built across North Texas in the mid-20th century.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 232 roads engraved around the shore, 13 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.
Bardwell Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Bardwell Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 13 ft, 19 ft, 25 ft, 32 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 38 ft. The lake covers about 4.7 square miles, and 232 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 Bardwell 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 Bardwell 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 Bardwell Lake.
Bardwell 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 Bardwell Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Bardwell 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 38 ft
- 4.7 square miles of water
- 232 shore roads engraved, 13 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
