Every Lake
Manistee Lake
Eleven miles of shoreline wrapped around 981 acres outside Cadillac, Michigan.
- 7 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 20 ft
- 27 ft
- 33 ft
- 40 ft · bottom
About Manistee Lake
Manistee Lake sits a few miles from Cadillac, the seat of Wexford County in the northern Lower Peninsula. The lake's basin, like most in this part of Michigan, was carved by glacial ice that retreated from the region roughly ten thousand years ago. It covers about 981 acres and reaches a modeled maximum depth near 40 feet, with roughly 11 miles of shoreline tracing its outline. Cadillac itself grew up as a nineteenth-century lumber town, shipping white pine out by rail before the surrounding forests were logged off.
Today the lake is used mainly for fishing and small-boat recreation, with cottages and year-round homes lining much of its shore. Its moderate depth and modest size make it more of a local lake than a destination water body, drawing residents of Cadillac and nearby townships rather than distant visitors. The shoreline mixes wooded lots with cleared yards, typical of inland lakes throughout Wexford County. Ice fishing draws activity in winter, when the lake reliably freezes given its northern Michigan location.
- 6 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 256 roads engraved around the shore, 13 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.
Manistee Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Manistee Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 13 ft, 20 ft, 27 ft, 33 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 40 ft. The lake covers about 1.6 square miles, and 256 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 Manistee 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 Manistee 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 Manistee Lake.
Manistee 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 Manistee Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Manistee 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 40 ft
- 1.6 square miles of water
- 256 shore roads engraved, 13 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
