Every Lake
Mitchell Lake
83 miles of shoreline behind Lay Dam, 12 miles from downtown Birmingham
- 14 ft · first step
- 29 ft
- 43 ft
- 58 ft
- 72 ft
- 86 ft · bottom
About Mitchell Lake
Mitchell Lake was formed in 1923 when Alabama Power completed Mitchell Dam on the Coosa River, one of six impoundments the company built on the river in the early 20th century to supply electricity to Birmingham and central Alabama. The dam sits downstream of Lay Lake and upstream of Jordan Lake, part of a chain of reservoirs that turned a free-flowing river into a series of connected lakes. It remains an active hydroelectric facility today.
The lake runs through Chilton, Coosa, and Elmore counties, with the town of Verbena and rural stretches of county road frontage along its banks rather than dense development. It draws bass anglers working its creek arms and rocky points, along with boaters and campers using the Alabama Power public access areas along the shoreline. Its narrow, winding channel follows the old riverbed more closely than the broader lakes upstream, giving it long fingers of water reaching into the surrounding hill country.
- 24 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 854 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.
Mitchell Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Mitchell Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour. The lake covers about 13.6 square miles, and 854 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom comes from a peer-reviewed bathymetry model of the lake.
A Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell Lake.
Mitchell 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 Mitchell Lake; 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
- 13.6 square miles of water
- 854 shore roads engraved
- 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.
