Every Lake
Calaveras Lake
Built in 1969 to cool a San Antonio power plant, now full of bass and alligator gar.
- 13 ft · first step
- 25 ft
- 38 ft
- 50 ft
- 63 ft
- 76 ft · bottom
About Calaveras Lake
Calaveras Lake was built in 1969 by City Public Service, San Antonio's municipal utility, as a cooling reservoir for coal- and gas-fired power plants on its southeast shore. The lake sits in Bexar County, a short drive from downtown San Antonio, and draws anglers rather than vacationers. Warm water discharged from the plant keeps temperatures higher than nearby lakes, which lets tilapia and other warm-water species survive through winter alongside native bass and catfish.
The lake covers about 2,938 acres with roughly 26 miles of shoreline, most of it undeveloped brush and mesquite flatland typical of south Texas. Maximum depth runs close to 76 feet, deep for a reservoir built mainly to circulate cooling water rather than to store it. Texas Parks and Wildlife manages public fishing access, and the lake has a reputation among Texas anglers for large alligator gar and channel catfish pulled from its discharge canal, where the warmest water collects.
- 94 roads engraved around the shore, 15 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.
Calaveras Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Calaveras Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 13 ft, 25 ft, 38 ft, 50 ft, 63 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 76 ft. The lake covers about 4.8 square miles, and 94 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 Calaveras 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 Calaveras 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 Calaveras Lake.
Calaveras 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 Calaveras Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Calaveras 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 76 ft
- 4.8 square miles of water
- 94 shore roads engraved, 15 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
