Every Lake
Honey Lake
No outlet, no dam — a closed desert basin the Susan River feeds and never drains.
- 19 ft · first step
- 39 ft
- 58 ft
- 77 ft
- 97 ft
- 116 ft · bottom
About Honey Lake
Honey Lake sits in a closed basin in Lassen County, California, fed mainly by the Susan River along with smaller creeks off the Diamond and Sierra ranges, with no natural outlet to the sea. It is a remnant of Pleistocene-era Lake Lahontan, which once covered much of the northwestern Great Basin. Susanville sits near its western edge, with Wendel and Standish along its shores. Because the basin has no drainage, the lake's extent shifts year to year, spreading wide in wet winters and pulling back into alkali flats during drought.
In 1852 William Nobles laid out an emigrant route, the Nobles Trail, along the lake's north shore to guide wagon trains toward the Sacramento Valley, cutting weeks off the older California Trail. Maidu and Paiute families had fished and gathered tule along its margins long before that. Ranching followed the trail-era settlers, and hay and cattle still define the surrounding Honey Lake Valley today. The lake now sits inside the Pacific Flyway, drawing waterfowl hunters and duck clubs to a shoreline that borders the Sierra Army Depot to the south.
- 10 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 422 roads engraved around the shore, 8 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.
Honey Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Honey Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 19 ft, 39 ft, 58 ft, 77 ft, 97 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 116 ft. The lake covers about 104.3 square miles, and 422 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 Honey 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 Honey 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 Honey Lake.
Honey 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 Honey Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Honey 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 116 ft
- 104.3 square miles of water
- 422 shore roads engraved, 8 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
