Every Lake
North Lake
Three miles of shoreline, 208 acres, Webster Township — settled 1826, eight miles from Ann Arbor
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 21 ft
- 29 ft
- 36 ft
- 43 ft · bottom
About North Lake
North Lake sits in Webster Township, a stretch of northeastern Washtenaw County that Thomas Alexander settled in 1826, seven years before the township organized in 1833. The lake itself dates to the retreat of the last continental ice sheet roughly 15,000 years ago, when melting glaciers scoured basins across southeastern Michigan and left them to fill with meltwater and groundwater. It covers about 208 acres with roughly 3 miles of shoreline and a modeled maximum depth near 43 feet. Ann Arbor sits about eight miles to the southeast, with Dexter and Whitmore Lake closer still.
Washtenaw County manages North Lake's aquatic plants directly, treating invasive weeds through its inland lake herbicide program, and the Michigan DNR lists the lake among the county's managed fisheries. The shoreline is lined mostly with private cottages and year-round homes rather than public parkland. Anglers, swimmers, and paddlers use the lake through the summer months, and its size and setting put it closer in character to the county's other small, township-managed lakes than to larger recreational lakes like Whitmore Lake a few miles east.
- 46 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.
North Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a North Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 21 ft, 29 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 43 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 46 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 North 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 North 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 North Lake.
North 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 North Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. North 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 43 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 46 shore roads engraved, 13 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
