MI · depth model

Houghton Lake

Michigan's largest inland lake, 20,000 acres of shallow water and Tip-Up Town.

12 inch$149Desk, bookshelf, hallway. The closing-gift size. · ≈ 2.9 lb 17 inch$249Over a sideboard or in a reading nook. · ≈ 5.9 lb 24 inch$399The over-the-mantel piece. Islands appear at this scale. · ≈ 11.7 lb 30 inch$599Statement wall. Two hangers, every town on the shore named. · ≈ 18.3 lb

Make it yours family name · a line of text · a star on your place

Family name on the title block A line under it Title block preview

Your place — a star and a name on the board

Add a laser-cut desk stand (12" and 17" only) +$29

Made to order in Waterford, PA. Ships in 7–10 days, free in the lower 48. Birch, 5 mm per layer, keyhole hanger built in. By ordering you agree to our terms — decorative art, not a navigational chart.

The layers of this board — each depth is engraved on its step

4 ft · first step
7 ft
11 ft
14 ft
18 ft
21 ft · bottom

21 ftmaximum depth

0.1square miles of water

6depth layers cut

5roads engraved on the 12"

2.9 lbthe 12" on the wall (≈ 18.3 lb at 30")

The lake

About Houghton Lake

Houghton Lake in Roscommon County is the largest inland lake in Michigan at about 20,000 acres, but rarely more than 21 feet deep — the source of the Muskegon River. Tip-Up Town USA, the January ice-fishing festival, has run since 1951; Prudenville and Houghton Lake are the shore towns.

On the board

5 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

Why we cut this one

Houghton Lake is one of the lakes people ask us for by name — the kind of shoreline where the house has a name and the dock has a history. This board is cut from the same depth grid the configurator uses for all 104,419 lakes, so the shape is the real one.

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.

Depth chart

Houghton Lake depth chart, in wood

This is a Houghton Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 4 ft, 7 ft, 11 ft, 14 ft, 18 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 21 ft. The lake covers about 0.1 square miles, and 5 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 Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton Lake.

Questions

Houghton 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 Houghton Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.

Is it made from real depth data?

Yes. Houghton 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.

On this board