Every Lake
Lake Ronkonkoma
Long Island's largest lake, fed only by groundwater, with no river in or out.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 30 ft
- 38 ft
- 46 ft · bottom
About Lake Ronkonkoma
Lake Ronkonkoma formed as a kettle lake when the Wisconsin glacier retreated roughly 15,000 years ago, leaving a buried block of ice that melted into a basin in the sand and gravel of Long Island's terminal moraine. It sits in Suffolk County, New York, with its shoreline split among the towns of Islip, Brookhaven, and Smithtown. The lake has no natural surface inlet or outlet; its water level tracks the groundwater table instead of a river.
The hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma grew up around the water and took its name from it, with a Long Island Rail Road station a short walk from the county park on the north shore. Generations of Suffolk County families have come for swimming, fishing, and boating, and the lake carries a long-standing local legend about a young Native American woman, the 'Lady of the Lake,' said to haunt its waters. County-run beaches and boat launches still line the shore.
- 49 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.
Lake Ronkonkoma depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Ronkonkoma depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 15 ft, 23 ft, 30 ft, 38 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 46 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles, and 49 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 Ronkonkoma 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 Ronkonkoma 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 Ronkonkoma.
Lake Ronkonkoma 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 Ronkonkoma; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Ronkonkoma 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 46 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- 49 shore roads engraved, 9 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
