Every Lake
Fox Lake
The heart of Illinois' Chain O'Lakes, a glacial waterway busy with boats since the 1930s.
- 9 ft · first step
- 19 ft
- 28 ft
- 37 ft
- 46 ft
- 56 ft · bottom
About Fox Lake
Fox Lake is one of the largest lakes in the Chain O'Lakes, a system of 15 interconnected lakes in northeastern Illinois carved by the retreating Wisconsin glacier and linked by the Fox River. The village of Fox Lake sits on its shore, calling itself the 'Heart of the Chain,' with the lake and its connections to Nippersink and Pistakee lakes forming one of the busiest inland boating waterways in the country. The current water level dates to the McHenry Dam, built downstream on the Fox River in 1939.
- 7 roads engraved around the shore, 2 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.
Fox Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Fox Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 19 ft, 28 ft, 37 ft, 46 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 56 ft. The lake covers about 0.1 square miles, and 7 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 Fox 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 Fox 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 Fox Lake.
Fox 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 Fox Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Fox Lake 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 56 ft
- 0.1 square miles of water
- 7 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
