Every Lake
Medina Lake
A 1913 dam built for citrus farms now drops low enough to expose the land it flooded.
- 25 ft · first step
- 50 ft
- 75 ft
- 101 ft
- 126 ft
- 151 ft · bottom
About Medina Lake
Medina Dam went up between 1911 and 1913 on the Medina River in the Texas Hill Country, about 40 miles northwest of San Antonio. The Medina Valley Irrigation Company built it to water citrus and vegetable farms downstream, and when finished it ranked among the largest dams in the world. The reservoir it created straddles Bandera and Medina counties, fed by the Medina and Seco rivers along with local runoff. The dam still stands, now operated by the Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Water Control and Improvement District.
Water levels swing more than almost any lake in the state, since irrigation releases and drought can drop the surface tens of feet in a single season. Low years have exposed old fence lines, building foundations, and stretches of riverbed normally underwater. Lakehills and Mico grew up on its northern and southern shores as retirement and weekend communities, and San Antonio residents drive out for bass fishing tournaments and boating. The surrounding land mixes ranch acreage with the limestone bluffs typical of the Hill Country.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 694 roads engraved around the shore, 5 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.
Medina Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Medina Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 25 ft, 50 ft, 75 ft, 101 ft, 126 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 151 ft. The lake covers about 7.9 square miles, and 694 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 Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina Lake.
Medina 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 Medina Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Medina 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 151 ft
- 7.9 square miles of water
- 694 shore roads engraved, 5 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
