Every Lake
Crystal Lake
124 acres and about two miles of shoreline, west of Hartford, Connecticut.
- 7 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 20 ft
- 27 ft
- 33 ft
- 40 ft · bottom
About Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake sits west of Hartford in Connecticut's rolling upland country, a modest body of water covering roughly 124 acres. Its shoreline runs about two miles, closely following the contours of the surrounding hills rather than cutting a simple oval. Modeled depth readings put the deepest water near 40 feet, a figure derived from bathymetric modeling rather than a full sounding survey. The lake sits at roughly 41.921 north latitude, 73.100 west longitude, placing it in the band of small, tree-ringed lakes that dot this part of the state.
Houses and cottages line most of the accessible shore, a pattern typical of Connecticut's smaller inland lakes, where full-time residents and weekend owners share the same narrow band of waterfront. The lake draws anglers working for bass and panfish, along with paddlers and swimmers who use it for its size, small enough to cross in an afternoon by canoe. There is no marina or public beach complex to speak of; access runs mostly through private lots and a handful of informal points. Its modest depth and enclosed shape keep it calmer than the larger reservoirs nearby, which serve boat traffic and municipal water supply instead.
- 3 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Crystal Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Crystal Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles, and 3 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom comes from a peer-reviewed bathymetry model of the lake.
A Crystal 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 Crystal 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 Crystal Lake.
Crystal 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 Crystal 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
- 0.2 square miles of water
- 3 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
