Every Lake
Lake Gaston
Dammed in 1963 on the Roanoke River, straddling the Virginia–North Carolina line.
- 27 ft · first step
- 54 ft
- 82 ft
- 109 ft
- 136 ft
- 163 ft · bottom
About Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston formed in 1963 when Virginia Electric and Power Company completed Gaston Dam on the Roanoke River, part of a chain of hydroelectric reservoirs built downstream of Kerr Lake. The lake runs roughly 34 miles along the old river channel and crosses the state line, with the dam and powerhouse on the North Carolina side near Roanoke Rapids. Towns like South Hill and Bracey, Virginia, and Littleton and Gaston, North Carolina, grew up around its shoreline as the reservoir filled the valley.
The lake became known for striped bass, largemouth bass, and crappie fishing, drawing anglers from both states to its coves and the deeper original river channel. Its shoreline is heavily developed with vacation homes, marinas, and boat docks, and it functions as a recreational lake for retirees and weekend boaters from Richmond, Raleigh, and the Hampton Roads area. The Eaton Ferry Bridge crosses one of its wider points, and the lake's long, branching shape reflects the creeks and river bends it drowned when the dam went up.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 2,689 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Lake Gaston depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Gaston depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour. The lake covers about 81.5 square miles, and 2689 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom comes from a peer-reviewed bathymetry model of the lake.
A Lake Gaston 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 Lake Gaston 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 Lake Gaston.
Lake Gaston 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 Lake Gaston; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes — from GLOBathy, a peer-reviewed bathymetry dataset that estimates the bottom of every lake from its shoreline and surrounding terrain. Each layer of birch is a depth contour. Where a lake has a published sounding survey we use that instead, and we are adding surveys lake by lake.
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
- 81.5 square miles of water
- 2689 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
Keep reading
Guides from the people who cut these maps.
- Gifts for Fishermen Who Already Own Every LureUnique fishing gifts for the angler who has everything: a layered wood depth map of the lake they fish, with the structure they know by heart.
- Lake House Gifts That Actually Mean SomethingThoughtful lake house gifts and cabin gift ideas for Christmas: what lake people actually keep, how to choose a size, and how to word a personal line.
- Deepest Lakes in Michigan: Surveyed Depths and What Lies BelowWhich inland lakes in Michigan run deepest? Surveyed depths for Crystal, Mullett, Glen, Charlevoix and more, and how depth shapes color, fish and ice.
