Every Lake
Walloon Lake
Hemingway's boyhood lake, in the hills above Petoskey.
- 17 ft · first step
- 33 ft
- 50 ft
- 67 ft
- 83 ft
- 100 ft · bottom
About Walloon Lake
Walloon Lake is a clear, cold spring-fed lake of about 4,300 acres south of Petoskey in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, with five arms reaching into the hardwood hills and a maximum depth near 100 feet. It is one of the most sought-after cottage lakes in the Midwest and one of the quietest for its size.
Ernest Hemingway spent the first twenty summers of his life at his family's Windemere cottage on the north shore; the Nick Adams stories are set on and around this water. The village at the foot of the lake has been rebuilt as a small resort town, and the shoreline is still mostly private cottages under old trees.
- 6 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 256 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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.
Walloon Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Walloon Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 33 ft, 50 ft, 67 ft, 83 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 100 ft. The lake covers about 7.1 square miles, and 256 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 Walloon 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 Walloon 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 Walloon Lake.
Walloon 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 Walloon Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Walloon 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 100 ft
- 7.1 square miles of water
- 256 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
