Every Lake
Clear Lake
One lake, one town, three miles of shoreline drawn by a glacier's edge.
- 14 ft · first step
- 29 ft
- 43 ft
- 58 ft
- 72 ft
- 86 ft · bottom
About Clear Lake
Clear Lake sits in north-central Iowa a few miles west of Mason City, formed near the edge of the last glacial advance that shaped this part of the state. The lake became a resort destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when rail lines brought visitors from Des Moines and Minneapolis to its shore, and the town that grew up around it took the lake's name. It later gained a different kind of recognition as the last stop for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper before their February 1959 plane crash, an event now marked each winter by a tribute concert at the Surf Ballroom.
The lake covers roughly 3,600 acres with about 16 miles of shoreline, shallow enough throughout that ice fishing shanties and open water boaters both crowd it depending on season. Water skiing clubs, sailboat regattas, and walleye tournaments share the surface with lake homes and cottages that range from older family places to newer construction along the north and south shores. The city of Clear Lake and the smaller community of Ventura sit on opposite ends, with the lake acting as the organizing feature for both, from summer boat traffic to the ice roads that form some winters.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 346 roads engraved around the shore, 14 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.
Clear Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Clear Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 5 ft, 10 ft, 15 ft, 20 ft, 25 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 30 ft. The lake covers about 5.8 square miles, and 346 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom comes from a peer-reviewed bathymetry model of the lake.
A Clear 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 Clear 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 Clear Lake.
Clear 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 Clear 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 down to 30 ft
- 5.8 square miles of water
- 346 shore roads engraved, 14 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
