Every Lake
Black Dog Lake
About 8 miles of shoreline, 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis.
- 16 ft · first step
- 32 ft
- 48 ft
- 64 ft
- 80 ft
- 96 ft · bottom
About Black Dog Lake
Black Dog Lake sits along the Minnesota River in Dakota County, just south of the Twin Cities, formed as a widening of the river bottoms near where the Black Dog power plant once stood on its northern shore. The lake and its surrounding marsh are part of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the area is known as one of the few spots in the region that stays partially open water through winter, warmed by the plant's discharge, which drew wintering trumpeter swans and helped anchor a reintroduction effort for the species in Minnesota.
The lake borders Burnsville and Eagan, suburban communities south of the Minnesota River, and functions more as a wildlife and paddling destination than a motorized boating lake, with shallow water and extensive cattail marsh limiting larger craft. Bird watchers, kayakers, and anglers use the refuge trails and put-ins along its edges, and the swans that once concentrated near the warm-water outflow remain a local landmark, even as the power plant that created those conditions was retired in the 2010s.
- 319 roads engraved around the shore, 16 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.
Black Dog Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Black Dog Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 16 ft, 32 ft, 48 ft, 64 ft, 80 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 96 ft. The lake covers about 0.8 square miles, and 319 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 Black Dog 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 Black Dog 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 Black Dog Lake.
Black Dog 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 Black Dog Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Black Dog 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 96 ft
- 0.8 square miles of water
- 319 shore roads engraved, 16 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
