Every Lake
Spy Pond
23 feet deep, 86 acres wide, four miles from Boston's edge
- 4 ft · first step
- 8 ft
- 11 ft
- 15 ft
- 19 ft
- 23 ft · bottom
About Spy Pond
Spy Pond sits in Arlington, Massachusetts, roughly four miles northwest of Boston. Colonial-era accounts describe the name coming from its use as a lookout point during the Revolutionary War, though the exact origin is debated. In the 19th century the pond became an ice-harvesting site, with commercial cutters shipping blocks out by rail before mechanical refrigeration made the trade obsolete. The surrounding land shifted from farmland to dense residential neighborhoods as Arlington grew into a streetcar suburb.
Today Spy Pond is ringed by a public park, a boat launch, and footpaths used by residents of Arlington and neighboring Cambridge and Belmont. It draws sailors with small boats, anglers fishing for stocked trout and bass, and skaters when the surface freezes solid enough. The pond's basin is shallow and roughly oval, fed mainly by groundwater and runoff rather than a major river, which makes its water levels sensitive to seasonal rainfall. Conservation groups have worked for decades on invasive weed control and shoreline restoration.
- 85 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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.
Spy Pond depth chart, in wood
This is a Spy Pond depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 4 ft, 8 ft, 11 ft, 15 ft, 19 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 23 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles, and 85 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 Spy Pond 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 Spy Pond 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 Spy Pond.
Spy Pond 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 Spy Pond; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Spy Pond 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 23 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- 85 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
