Every Lake
Pontiac Lake
Nine miles of shoreline, 42.665° N, in the county named for it
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 22 ft
- 29 ft
- 36 ft
- 43 ft · bottom
About Pontiac Lake
Pontiac Lake sits in Oakland County, Michigan, a few miles northwest of the city of Pontiac, itself named for the 18th-century Odawa leader. The lake's shoreline runs roughly nine miles and its water surface covers about 615 acres, fed and drained by the Huron River watershed. Development around the lake grew through the 20th century as Pontiac and Waterford Township expanded outward, and much of the shoreline today sits within Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area, one of the larger state-managed properties in southeast Michigan.
The state recreation area surrounding the lake spans thousands of acres of woods, trails, and a public beach, drawing boaters, anglers, and campers from the Detroit metro area on weekends. Fishing pressure targets walleye, bass, and panfish, and the Michigan DNR stocks and monitors the lake as part of its inland fisheries program. The lake's basin is shallow enough to warm quickly in summer, which shapes both its fish population and its popularity for swimming and small-boat use rather than deep-water sport.
- 158 roads engraved around the shore, 12 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.
Pontiac Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Pontiac Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 22 ft, 29 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 43 ft. The lake covers about 1.0 square miles, and 158 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 Pontiac 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 Pontiac 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 Pontiac Lake.
Pontiac 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 Pontiac Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Pontiac 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
- 1.0 square miles of water
- 158 shore roads engraved, 12 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
