Every Lake
Long Lake
2,819 acres and 18 miles of shoreline, eight miles west of Traverse City.
- 15 ft · first step
- 29 ft
- 44 ft
- 58 ft
- 73 ft
- 87 ft · bottom
About Long Lake
Long Lake sits in Grand Traverse County, within Long Lake Township, a few miles west of downtown Traverse City. Like most inland lakes across northern Michigan, its basin was carved by glacial retreat at the end of the last ice age, leaving a body of water fed by groundwater and small tributary streams rather than a single river. The lake is unconnected to the Elk River Chain of Lakes to the east, giving it a self-contained shoreline that developed on its own timeline as the region grew around cherry farming and, later, tourism.
The lake's shoreline is largely residential, ringed by year-round homes and seasonal cottages rather than commercial development, with public access maintained through a township park and boat launch. Its size and depth support a warm-water fishery and enough open water for sailing and pontoon traffic without the congestion of the bigger lakes closer to the bay. Proximity to Traverse City has made it a bedroom-community lake over the past several decades, drawing residents who work in town but wanted water at the end of the driveway.
- 138 roads engraved around the shore, 7 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.
Long Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Long Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour. The lake covers about 4.6 square miles, and 138 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom comes from a peer-reviewed bathymetry model of the lake.
A Long 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 Long 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 Long Lake.
Long 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 Long 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
- 4.6 square miles of water
- 138 shore roads engraved, 7 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.
- 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.
- 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.
