Every Lake
Rufus Woods Lake
Backed up by Chief Joseph Dam since 1955, running roughly fifty miles up the Columbia River.
- 28 ft · first step
- 57 ft
- 85 ft
- 113 ft
- 141 ft
- 170 ft · bottom
About Rufus Woods Lake
Rufus Woods Lake is the reservoir behind Chief Joseph Dam, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Columbia River in 1955. It backs the river upstream for roughly fifty miles, ending at the base of Grand Coulee Dam. Rather than a round basin, it holds the river's original channel, narrow and elongated, threading through canyon country in north-central Washington. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation border much of its southern shore, and the towns of Bridgeport and Brewster sit along its banks.
The lake is best known for net-pen trout farming, an aquaculture operation run in cooperation with the Colville Tribes that raises rainbow trout in floating pens anchored in the reservoir. Fish that escape the pens grow quickly in the open water and have turned up as trophy-sized catches, drawing anglers who fish for rainbow trout alongside walleye and smallmouth bass. Bridgeport State Park, near the western end by the dam, provides the main public access point. Traffic on the water is a mix of local anglers, tribal members, and boaters moving between the two dams.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 117 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.
Rufus Woods Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Rufus Woods Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 28 ft, 57 ft, 85 ft, 113 ft, 141 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 170 ft. The lake covers about 108.4 square miles, and 117 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 Rufus Woods 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 Rufus Woods 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 Rufus Woods Lake.
Rufus Woods 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 Rufus Woods Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Rufus Woods 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 170 ft
- 108.4 square miles of water
- 117 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
