Every Lake
College Lake
188 acres in the Pajaro Valley that mostly disappears by the end of a dry summer.
- 5 ft · first step
- 10 ft
- 15 ft
- 20 ft
- 25 ft
- 30 ft · bottom
About College Lake
College Lake sits in the Pajaro Valley south of Santa Cruz, on land bordering Cabrillo College's Watsonville campus. It is a seasonal lake: rain and runoff from the surrounding hills fill it through winter and spring, and by late summer much of the basin dries into grassland and marsh. The surrounding valley is one of California's most productive agricultural regions, growing strawberries, lettuce, and other row crops on land that was once wetland. Farmers have drawn on the lake and the aquifer beneath it for irrigation for decades, and its water rights have been the subject of long-running local negotiation.
Birders know College Lake as one of the more reliable stops in Santa Cruz County, especially when winter rains bring the water up and waterfowl move through on the Pacific Flyway. Local birding groups keep informal counts of ducks, herons, and shorebirds that gather on the exposed mudflats as the lake recedes. Access has depended on agreements between Cabrillo College, local growers, and county agencies, since the lake sits on a mix of college and farmland. Its size changes enough between seasons that a shoreline measured in spring can look very different from what remains by fall.
- 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.
College Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a College Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 5 ft, 10 ft, 15 ft, 20 ft, 25 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 30 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A College 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 College 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 College Lake.
College 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 College Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. College 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 30 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
