Every Lake
Lake Palmdale
Two miles of shoreline in high desert, twelve feet deep at most, ten minutes from Lancaster.
- 2 ft · first step
- 4 ft
- 6 ft
- 8 ft
- 10 ft
- 12 ft · bottom
About Lake Palmdale
Lake Palmdale sits in the Antelope Valley of northern Los Angeles County, a few miles south of Lancaster and near Palmdale. It is a reservoir rather than a natural lake, fed by Little Rock Creek and held back by a small dam. The surrounding land is high desert, flat and dry, with the San Gabriel Mountains visible to the south. At roughly 170 acres with about two miles of shoreline, it is modest in size compared to the mountain reservoirs above it in the same watershed.
History suggests the lake has long served as a fishing spot for the valley, stocked with trout and drawing anglers from Palmdale and Lancaster on weekends. Its water stays shallow throughout, topping out around 12 feet, which lets it warm quickly in summer and cool fast once the season turns. Palmdale and Lancaster grew up largely around aerospace work and desert commuter housing, and the lake functions as one of the few open-water gathering points in a stretch of California better known for runways than shoreline.
- 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.
Lake Palmdale depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Palmdale depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 2 ft, 4 ft, 6 ft, 8 ft, 10 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 12 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 Lake Palmdale 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 Lake Palmdale 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 Lake Palmdale.
Lake Palmdale 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 Lake Palmdale; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Palmdale 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 12 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
