Every Lake
Cultus Lake
One of the few Cascade Lakes Highway lakes near Bend where motorboats and water-skiing are still allowed.
- 15 ft · first step
- 30 ft
- 45 ft
- 60 ft
- 75 ft
- 91 ft · bottom
About Cultus Lake
Cultus Lake sits in the Cascade Range west of Bend, Oregon, inside Deschutes National Forest at roughly 4,700 feet elevation. The lake basin formed through glacial action, carved by ice that once moved through the central Oregon Cascades. It covers about 1,100 acres with roughly 8 miles of shoreline and reaches a maximum depth near 91 feet. Ponderosa pine and lodgepole forest surround the shore, and the surrounding drainage feeds toward the Deschutes River watershed east of the lake.
The U.S. Forest Service operates campgrounds along the shore, and Cultus Lake Resort has rented cabins and boats there for decades. Unlike many nearby Cascade lakes, motorized boats and water-skiing are permitted on Cultus, drawing a different crowd than the quieter, no-wake lakes close by such as Little Cultus. Anglers fish for kokanee and rainbow trout, some stocked by state wildlife agencies. Bend, about 45 minutes east, supplies most of the day-trip traffic, along with visitors continuing on to Elk Lake and Sparks Lake along the Cascade Lakes Highway.
- 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.
Cultus Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Cultus Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 15 ft, 30 ft, 45 ft, 60 ft, 75 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 91 ft. The lake covers about 1.8 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Cultus 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 Cultus 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 Cultus Lake.
Cultus 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 Cultus Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Cultus 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 91 ft
- 1.8 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
