Every Lake
Lake Surprise
Named in 1904 when Flagler's railroad surveyors found it blocking their route to Key West.
- 7 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 22 ft
- 29 ft
- 36 ft
- 44 ft · bottom
About Lake Surprise
Lake Surprise sits at the northern tip of Key Largo, where the Florida Keys meet the mainland near Homestead. Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway surveyors came across it in 1904 while mapping the Key West Extension south from Miami, and the unexpected size of the lake is said to have given it its name. The railroad had to build across it, and decades later U.S. Highway 1 followed roughly the same path. The lake is tidal, connected to Barnes Sound and the broader Florida Bay system, so its water level moves with the tide rather than staying fixed like an inland lake.
Because it sits along the only road in and out of the Keys, Lake Surprise is better known to most people as a highway landmark than as a fishing destination, though it holds snook, tarpon, and mangrove snapper typical of the brackish creeks nearby. Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge borders it to the north, habitat for the endangered American crocodile. Homestead and Florida City are the nearest towns, working communities tied to agriculture and Everglades tourism rather than lakefront development, and there is little permanent residence directly on Lake Surprise itself.
- 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 Surprise depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Surprise depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 15 ft, 22 ft, 29 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 44 ft. The lake covers about 0.7 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Lake Surprise 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 Surprise 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 Surprise.
Lake Surprise 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 Surprise; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Surprise 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 44 ft
- 0.7 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
