Every Lake
Coldwater Lake
A lake with a birth certificate: May 18, 1980, one eruption, one afternoon.
- 17 ft · first step
- 33 ft
- 50 ft
- 67 ft
- 83 ft
- 100 ft · bottom
About Coldwater Lake
Coldwater Lake did not exist before May 18, 1980. The eruption of Mount St. Helens sent a debris avalanche down the North Fork Toutle River drainage that blocked Coldwater Creek, backing water up behind a natural landslide dam. Engineers later cut a stabilized outlet channel to keep that dam from failing under pressure, and the lake has held at a managed level since. It sits inside the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, about ten miles from Longview, Washington.
No permanent development sits on the shoreline; a boat launch, interpretive trail, and day-use area serve visitors instead of cabins. Access is limited to non-motorized and electric-motor boats, which keeps the water quiet and draws anglers after rainbow trout and researchers tracking how life returned to ground the eruption had sterilized. The surrounding hills still show the standing dead timber left by the 1980 blast, a visible marker of how recently the basin formed.
- 11 roads engraved around the shore, 1 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.
Coldwater Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Coldwater Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 33 ft, 50 ft, 67 ft, 83 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 100 ft. The lake covers about 1.2 square miles, and 11 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 Coldwater 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 Coldwater 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 Coldwater Lake.
Coldwater 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 Coldwater Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Coldwater 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 100 ft
- 1.2 square miles of water
- 11 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
