Every Lake
Kalamazoo Lake
Where the Kalamazoo River widens into Lake Michigan, between Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan.
- 5 ft · first step
- 11 ft
- 16 ft
- 22 ft
- 27 ft
- 32 ft · bottom
About Kalamazoo Lake
Kalamazoo Lake sits where the Kalamazoo River widens and slows before draining into Lake Michigan, a shallow basin geologists call a drowned river mouth. It separates the twin towns of Saugatuck on its south shore and Douglas on its north shore, connected by a channel and by a small hand-cranked chain ferry that still carries foot passengers across the water. The Big Red Lighthouse marks the point where the channel meets Lake Michigan, guiding boat traffic in and out of the harbor.
The lake and its harbor grew around shipbuilding and lumber shipping in the 1800s, when Saugatuck's mills sent cut timber out through the channel to Chicago and Milwaukee. As the lumber trade declined, artists began arriving in the early 1900s, drawn by the same light and water that had supported the mills, and the Ox-Bow School of Art was founded nearby in 1910. Today the lake carries sailboats, pontoons, and charter fishing boats between marinas on both shores through the summer months.
- 6 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 240 roads engraved around the shore, 16 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.
Kalamazoo Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Kalamazoo Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 5 ft, 11 ft, 16 ft, 22 ft, 27 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 32 ft. The lake covers about 1.1 square miles, and 240 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo Lake.
Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Kalamazoo 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 32 ft
- 1.1 square miles of water
- 240 shore roads engraved, 16 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
