Every Lake
Christmas Lake
237 acres, no public boat launch, water clear enough to see the bottom in summer
- 18 ft · first step
- 36 ft
- 54 ft
- 72 ft
- 90 ft
- 108 ft · bottom
About Christmas Lake
Christmas Lake sits in Shorewood, Minnesota, a small town on the south shore of Lake Minnetonka about fifteen miles southwest of Minneapolis. Like most lakes in the region, its basin was carved by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age, more than ten thousand years ago. The lake covers roughly 237 acres and has about four miles of shoreline, modest compared to its larger neighbor, Minnetonka, a mile or so to the north. Spring-fed inflows keep its water some of the clearest in the Twin Cities metro area.
There is no public boat launch on Christmas Lake, so access runs through the homes and small associations that ring its shore. Residents use it for swimming, fishing, and paddling rather than as a destination lake, and the absence of a public landing has kept boat traffic and development lower than on Minnetonka. Bass and panfish are the common catch. Winter draws ice fishermen and skaters once the surface locks up, and the lake's modeled maximum depth of about 108 feet makes it one of the deeper small lakes in the area.
- 44 roads engraved around the shore, 9 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.
Christmas Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Christmas Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 18 ft, 36 ft, 54 ft, 72 ft, 90 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 108 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 44 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 Christmas 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 Christmas 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 Christmas Lake.
Christmas 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 Christmas Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Christmas 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 108 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 44 shore roads engraved, 9 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
