Every Lake
Hower Lake
133 acres and three miles of shoreline tucked outside Akron, no highway in earshot
- 6 ft · first step
- 11 ft
- 17 ft
- 23 ft
- 28 ft
- 34 ft · bottom
About Hower Lake
Hower Lake sits a short drive from Akron, Ohio, in the rolling terrain of Summit County, a landscape shaped by glacial retreat that left the region pocked with small kettle lakes and wetlands. At roughly 133 acres, it's modest by reservoir standards but large enough to support a full ring of year-round and seasonal homes along its three miles of shoreline, most with private docks rather than public launch ramps.
The lake's basin runs to about 34 feet at its deepest, shallow enough to warm quickly in summer but with enough cold bottom water to hold fish through the season. Akron's history as a rubber and manufacturing center pulled generations of workers into the surrounding townships, and lakes like this one became the weekend counterweight to shift work — a place for bass fishing, pontoon boats, and small sailboats rather than water-skiing crowds or marina traffic.
- 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.
Hower Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Hower Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 11 ft, 17 ft, 23 ft, 28 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 34 ft. The lake covers about 0.2 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Hower 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 Hower 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 Hower Lake.
Hower 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 Hower Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Hower 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 34 ft
- 0.2 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
