Every Lake
Tikchik Lake
878 feet deep, 143 miles of shoreline, reachable only by floatplane from Dillingham.
- 146 ft · first step
- 293 ft
- 439 ft
- 585 ft
- 732 ft
- 878 ft · bottom
About Tikchik Lake
Tikchik Lake sits inside Wood-Tikchik State Park, established in 1978 and covering roughly 1.6 million acres in southwest Alaska. Glacial action carved the lake basin during the Pleistocene, leaving a long, narrow trough now fed by rivers draining the Wood and Tikchik mountain ranges. The lake connects to a chain of interconnected lakes — Nunavaugaluk, Nuyakuk, Chikuminuk, and others — that together form one of the largest undeveloped freshwater systems in North America. Dillingham, about 60 miles southwest, is the nearest town and the regional hub for Bristol Bay.
The lake is known for sockeye salmon runs that feed the Wood River and Nushagak River systems, among the largest sockeye fisheries in the world. Access is by floatplane only; no road connects Dillingham to the lake. A handful of remote fishing lodges operate seasonally on its shores, serving anglers who fly in for rainbow trout, grayling, and salmon. The Yup'ik and Dena'ina peoples have fished the surrounding watershed for subsistence for generations, and set-net and drift-net fleets from Dillingham still work the connected river mouths each summer.
- 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.
Tikchik Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Tikchik Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 146 ft, 293 ft, 439 ft, 585 ft, 732 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 878 ft. The lake covers about 96.3 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Tikchik 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 Tikchik 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 Tikchik Lake.
Tikchik 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 Tikchik Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Tikchik 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 878 ft
- 96.3 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
