Every Lake
Namakan Lake
The US-Canada border runs through it; Kettle Falls Dam has set its level since 1910.
- 35 ft · first step
- 70 ft
- 105 ft
- 140 ft
- 175 ft
- 210 ft · bottom
About Namakan Lake
Namakan Lake straddles the Minnesota-Ontario border in the boundary waters northeast of International Falls. It formed along the historic canoe route voyageurs used to move furs between Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg, and its outflow has been controlled since 1910 by the Kettle Falls Dam, built to manage water levels for logging and later regulated jointly by the United States and Canada. The lake sits within the broader Rainy Lake watershed, one link in a chain of connected border lakes.
Since 1975 Namakan has been part of Voyageurs National Park, grouped with Kabetogama, Rainy, and Sand Point lakes as the park's four main waterways. There are no roads to most of its shoreline; access is by boat, canoe, or floatplane, and rangers and visitors alike depend on the water for movement between islands. The lake draws walleye and smallmouth bass anglers and houseboat traffic out of nearby Crane Lake and International Falls, with the historic Kettle Falls Hotel marking one of the few fixed landmarks on its shore.
- 8 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 121 roads engraved around the shore, 0 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.
Namakan Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Namakan Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 35 ft, 70 ft, 105 ft, 140 ft, 175 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 210 ft. The lake covers about 94.3 square miles, and 121 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 Namakan 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 Namakan 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 Namakan Lake.
Namakan 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 Namakan Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Namakan 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 210 ft
- 94.3 square miles of water
- 121 shore roads engraved
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
