Every Lake
Lake Bemidji
The Mississippi River flows through Lake Bemidji, one of the first towns it reaches from its source.
- 14 ft · first step
- 29 ft
- 43 ft
- 58 ft
- 72 ft
- 87 ft · bottom
About Lake Bemidji
Lake Bemidji sits in Beltrami County in north-central Minnesota, fed and drained by the Mississippi River within the first several miles of its run out of Lake Itasca. The lake formed in a basin left by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age. It covers roughly 6,400 acres with about 15 miles of shoreline and a modeled maximum depth near 87 feet. Bemidji State University sits along its southern shore, and Lake Bemidji State Park occupies the north shore, near where the river exits toward Lake Winnibigoshish.
The city of Bemidji grew up on the lake's western shore starting in the 1890s as a logging and railroad town, later becoming a regional trade center for north-central Minnesota. The name comes from the Ojibwe word Bemidjigamaag, describing a lake with a river crossing through it. A 1937 statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox stands on the downtown lakefront, a longtime stop for travelers on Highway 2. Walleye and muskie fishing draw anglers to the lake in open water and through the winter ice season.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 246 roads engraved around the shore, 4 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.
Lake Bemidji depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Bemidji depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 14 ft, 29 ft, 43 ft, 58 ft, 72 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 87 ft. The lake covers about 10.2 square miles, and 246 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 Lake Bemidji 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 Lake Bemidji 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 Lake Bemidji.
Lake Bemidji 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 Lake Bemidji; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Bemidji 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 87 ft
- 10.2 square miles of water
- 246 shore roads engraved, 4 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
