Every Lake
Lake Tohopekaliga
Kissimmee's home lake, drawn down to bare mud three times to save its bass fishery.
- 9 ft · first step
- 18 ft
- 26 ft
- 35 ft
- 44 ft
- 53 ft · bottom
About Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Tohopekaliga sits at the headwaters of the Kissimmee River, which once wound south into Lake Okeechobee before the Army Corps of Engineers straightened it into a canal in the 1960s. The town of Kissimmee grew up on its northern shore, first as a cattle-shipping port in the 1880s, later as a gateway to Central Florida tourism after Walt Disney World opened nearby in 1971. Long before either, the lake anchored a shallow, marshy grassland ecosystem now called the Everglades headwaters.
Lake Toho draws bass anglers from across the country; the Bassmaster Elite Series has run tournaments on it, and February often brings clusters of tournament trailers to the public ramps around Kissimmee. To keep the fishery healthy, water managers have drawn the lake down to bare mud several times — in 1987, 2004, and 2019 — scraping and burning the muck that chokes out spawning grass. Airboat guides work the same water for alligator tours, sharing 15,935 acres of shallow, grassy lake with the tournament boats.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 1,953 roads engraved around the shore, 3 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.
Lake Tohopekaliga depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Tohopekaliga depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 18 ft, 26 ft, 35 ft, 44 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 53 ft. The lake covers about 25.5 square miles, and 1953 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 Lake Tohopekaliga 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 Tohopekaliga 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 Tohopekaliga.
Lake Tohopekaliga 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 Tohopekaliga; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Tohopekaliga 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 53 ft
- 25.5 square miles of water
- 1953 shore roads engraved, 3 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
