Every Lake
Torch Lake
Nineteen miles of Caribbean blue in northern Michigan — the longest inland lake in the state.
- 36 ft · first step
- 71 ft
- 107 ft
- 143 ft
- 179 ft
- 214 ft
- 250 ft
- 285 ft · bottom
About Torch Lake
Torch Lake is a long, deep trough left by the glaciers a few miles inland from Grand Traverse Bay: 19 miles long, nearly 300 feet deep, and famous for a color that people who have never seen it assume is a filter. It isn't. Marl and sand on the bottom and very clear water give the shallows a turquoise that National Geographic once ranked among the most beautiful lakes in the world.
The name is a translation of the Ojibwe Was-wa-gon-ong, "place of torches," for the fires fishermen lit on their canoes at night to draw fish. The lake is part of the Chain of Lakes that drains through Elk Lake to the bay; Alden, Clam River and Torch River are its villages.
The sandbar at the south end is the lake's social center every summer weekend, and the shoreline is some of the most sought-after in Michigan — cottages that have been in families since the lumber days and are not for sale at any price.
- Alden, Torch River, Clam River, Eastport
- US-31 and the shore roads
- Ten depth layers on the 12"
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.
Torch Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Torch Lake depth chart you can hang: 8 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 36 ft, 71 ft, 107 ft, 143 ft, 179 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 285 ft. The lake covers about 29.0 square miles, and 469 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 Torch 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 Torch 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 Torch Lake.
Torch 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 Torch Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Torch 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.
- 8 depth layers down to 285 ft
- 29.0 square miles of water
- 469 shore roads engraved, 10 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
