Every Lake
Big Lake
26 miles of shoreline six miles from Wasilla, off the Parks Highway
- 13 ft · first step
- 26 ft
- 39 ft
- 52 ft
- 65 ft
- 78 ft · bottom
About Big Lake
Big Lake sits in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, carved into the landscape by glacial retreat thousands of years ago. Dena'ina Athabascan people traveled and fished the connected waterways of the valley long before the Parks Highway reached the area in the mid-20th century. Once road access improved after statehood, the lake became one of the closer recreational waters to Anchorage and Wasilla, drawing seasonal cabin owners north from the growing population centers of the Cook Inlet region.
The lake is known today for float planes, powerboats, and personal watercraft, with public and private docks lining much of its shore. Sockeye salmon return each summer through connected creeks, drawing anglers alongside water-skiers and pontoon boats on the same afternoons. Wasilla residents and Anchorage day-trippers make up much of the traffic, and in winter the frozen surface carries snowmachines and ice fishermen. Development around the lake includes year-round homes and summer camps, reflecting its role as a working recreation lake rather than a remote destination.
- 173 roads engraved around the shore, 7 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.
Big Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Big Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 13 ft, 26 ft, 39 ft, 52 ft, 65 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 78 ft. The lake covers about 5.0 square miles, and 173 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 Big 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 Big 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 Big Lake.
Big 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 Big Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Big 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 78 ft
- 5.0 square miles of water
- 173 shore roads engraved, 7 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
