Every Lake
Smithville Lake
A 1982 Army Corps dam on the Little Platte River, 66 miles of shoreline north of Kansas City.
- 12 ft · first step
- 23 ft
- 35 ft
- 46 ft
- 58 ft
- 69 ft · bottom
About Smithville Lake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Smithville Lake by damming the Little Platte River, completing the project in 1982 primarily for flood control on behalf of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The resulting reservoir sits in Clay County, Missouri, just east of the town of Smithville, roughly twenty-five miles north of downtown Kansas City. The Corps' Kansas City District continues to manage water levels and the surrounding public land.
The lake became a sailing destination almost immediately, with a resident sailing club running regattas on its open water, and it draws anglers after walleye, crappie, and catfish from its coves. Paradise Pointe, a public golf complex, sits along its shore and pulls in golfers alongside the boaters. Most visitors come up from the Kansas City suburbs for a weekend on the water rather than a long vacation, making it a close-in escape more than a destination lake.
- 12 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 341 roads engraved around the shore, 7 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.
Smithville Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Smithville Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 12 ft, 23 ft, 35 ft, 46 ft, 58 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 69 ft. The lake covers about 10.3 square miles, and 341 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 Smithville 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 Smithville 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 Smithville Lake.
Smithville 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 Smithville Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Smithville 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 69 ft
- 10.3 square miles of water
- 341 shore roads engraved, 7 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
