Every Lake
Sand Lake
507 acres, 4 miles of shoreline, roughly an hour southwest of Ann Arbor
- 9 ft · first step
- 19 ft
- 28 ft
- 37 ft
- 47 ft
- 56 ft · bottom
About Sand Lake
Sand Lake sits in the belt of small kettle lakes scattered across southern Michigan, ground out of glacial till when the last ice sheet retreated roughly 12,000 years ago and left behind blocks of buried ice that melted into basins. The result at Sand Lake is a modest, irregularly shaped body of water covering about 507 acres, ringed by roughly 4 miles of shoreline rather than one long uniform bank. Its basin bottoms out around 56 feet, modest by comparison to Michigan's larger glacial lakes but enough to hold a stable cold-water layer through summer.
The lake sits within reach of Ann Arbor, close enough for a day trip but far enough to keep it a year-round residential lake rather than a resort strip. Shoreline development runs mostly to single-family cottages and homes converted for full-time living, with a mix of longtime property owners and newer arrivals drawn by the University of Michigan job market. Fishing, pontoon boats, and swimming are the lake's steady uses; there's no public beach or major marina drawing outside traffic, and most activity on the water comes from people who live on it.
- 26 roads engraved around the shore, 6 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.
Sand Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Sand Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 9 ft, 19 ft, 28 ft, 37 ft, 47 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 56 ft. The lake covers about 0.8 square miles, and 26 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 Sand 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 Sand 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 Sand Lake.
Sand 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 Sand Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Sand 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 56 ft
- 0.8 square miles of water
- 26 shore roads engraved, 6 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
