Every Lake
Kachess Lake
Dammed in 1912 for Yakima Valley irrigation, drawn down every summer since
- 17 ft · first step
- 34 ft
- 51 ft
- 68 ft
- 85 ft
- 102 ft · bottom
About Kachess Lake
Kachess Lake began as a natural lake in the Cascade foothills, enlarged in 1912 when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built a dam at its outlet as part of the Yakima Project, an irrigation system serving farms in the Yakima Valley. The reservoir stores snowmelt through spring and releases it downstream over summer, so its level can drop sharply by late season in dry years, exposing wide stretches of the original lakebed. It sits along the Kachess River, a tributary feeding into the Yakima River system east of the Cascade crest.
The lake is reached by a Forest Service road off Interstate 90 near Easton, in Kittitas County, and is bordered mostly by national forest land rather than private shoreline. It draws campers, boaters, and anglers, with kokanee salmon among the main catch at the Forest Service campground on its eastern shore. Because of the irrigation drawdown, boat launches and campground use follow water levels rather than a fixed season, and dry summers can leave docks stranded well above the waterline by September.
- 64 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.
Kachess Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Kachess Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 34 ft, 51 ft, 68 ft, 85 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 102 ft. The lake covers about 6.7 square miles, and 64 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 Kachess 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 Kachess 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 Kachess Lake.
Kachess 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 Kachess Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Kachess 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 102 ft
- 6.7 square miles of water
- 64 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
