Every Lake
Orchard Lake
Apple Island sits at its center, home to a Polish seminary founded in 1885
- 6 ft · first step
- 11 ft
- 17 ft
- 23 ft
- 29 ft
- 34 ft · bottom
About Orchard Lake
Orchard Lake sits in Oakland County, Michigan, within Orchard Lake Village, a small municipality near Pontiac about 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Like most lakes in the county, its basin dates to the retreat of glacial ice roughly 12,000 years ago. The lake covers about 823 acres with roughly 6 miles of shoreline, and a depth model puts its maximum around 34 feet. Cass Lake lies just to the east, part of the same cluster of lakes that shaped this stretch of southeastern Michigan.
At the center of the lake sits Apple Island, where Father Jozef Dabrowski established a Polish Catholic seminary in 1885. That institution grew into Orchard Lake Schools, which today includes St. Mary's Preparatory School and a museum devoted to Polish and Polish American history. The rest of the shoreline is largely private residential, built up through the 1900s as Pontiac's auto industry expanded the surrounding suburbs. The lake remains a boating and fishing spot for Oakland County residents.
- 2 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 105 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.
Orchard Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Orchard Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 11 ft, 17 ft, 23 ft, 29 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 34 ft. The lake covers about 1.3 square miles, and 105 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 Orchard 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 Orchard 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 Orchard Lake.
Orchard 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 Orchard Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Orchard 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 34 ft
- 1.3 square miles of water
- 105 shore roads engraved, 16 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
