Every Lake
Pelican Lake
Twenty-five miles of shoreline wrapped around barely fifteen feet of water, northwest of Minneapolis.
- 3 ft · first step
- 5 ft
- 8 ft
- 10 ft
- 13 ft
- 15 ft · bottom
About Pelican Lake
Pelican Lake covers roughly 3,076 acres in east-central Minnesota, within reach of the Twin Cities. Its shoreline runs about 25 miles, a figure far longer than its acreage would suggest for a round lake, meaning the water folds into bays, points, and narrow channels rather than sitting as one open basin. The modeled maximum depth is about 15 feet, shallow for a lake of its size, so light reaches the bottom across most of its surface rather than only near the edges.
That combination of wide surface area and shallow water shapes how people use it: pontoon boats and fishing skiffs favor lakes like this over deep, narrow ones, since the water warms early and stays navigable close to shore. Cabin owners and day-trippers from the Minneapolis area account for most of the traffic, with the lake busiest on summer weekends and quiet the rest of the year. Its many bays give it more private frontage per acre than a simpler-shaped lake of the same size would offer.
- 29 roads engraved around the shore, 8 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.
Pelican Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Pelican Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 3 ft, 5 ft, 8 ft, 10 ft, 13 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 15 ft. The lake covers about 5.0 square miles, and 29 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 Pelican 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 Pelican 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 Pelican Lake.
Pelican 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 Pelican Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Pelican 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 15 ft
- 5.0 square miles of water
- 29 shore roads engraved, 8 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
