Every Lake
Watkins Lake
205 acres and four miles of shoreline in Waterford Township, eleven miles from Pontiac.
- 6 ft · first step
- 13 ft
- 19 ft
- 25 ft
- 31 ft
- 37 ft · bottom
About Watkins Lake
Watkins Lake sits in Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, part of the dense cluster of kettle lakes left behind when the glaciers that covered southern Michigan retreated roughly 11,000 to 14,000 years ago. Buried blocks of ice, stranded in glacial till as the ice sheet withdrew, melted slowly and left basins that filled with water, which is why lakes in this part of the state tend toward round or irregular shapes rather than the long, straight basins carved by rivers. Watkins Lake covers about 205 acres with roughly 4 miles of shoreline, modest enough to cross by boat in minutes.
Pontiac, about eleven miles to the southeast, grew into an auto-manufacturing center through the 20th century, and Waterford Township developed alongside it as a residential area where families settled within easy reach of the city. Watkins Lake fits that pattern: a smaller, mostly residential lake ringed by year-round and seasonal homes rather than resorts or commercial docks. Its modeled maximum depth of about 37 feet keeps it in the range of Oakland County's other small glacial lakes, shallow enough to warm through in summer, deep enough to hold fish through the winter.
- 57 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.
Watkins Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Watkins Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 13 ft, 19 ft, 25 ft, 31 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 37 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles, and 57 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 Watkins 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 Watkins 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 Watkins Lake.
Watkins 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 Watkins Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Watkins 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 37 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- 57 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
