Every Lake
Green Lake
Seattle lowered it seven feet in 1911 to make more park out of a kettle lake.
- 8 ft · first step
- 15 ft
- 23 ft
- 30 ft
- 38 ft
- 45 ft · bottom
About Green Lake
Green Lake formed as a kettle lake near the end of the last glaciation, when a buried block of ice left behind by retreating glaciers melted and left a depression that filled with water. Seattle's parks department bought land around the lake starting in 1905, part of the Olmsted Brothers' park plan for the city. In 1911 engineers lowered the lake's level by about seven feet, draining it toward Lake Washington's watershed, which exposed more shoreline and let the city build a wider ring of parkland around the water.
The lake sits inside Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, a few miles north of downtown, with the university district and Wallingford nearby. A paved path circles the water and draws walkers, runners, and cyclists throughout the year, while rowing clubs and swimmers use the lake itself. A public bathhouse and swimming beaches opened on the east and west shores in the early 20th century, and an outdoor amphitheater called the Aqua Theater stood on the lake from 1950 into the early 1970s, hosting swimming and boat shows before it was mostly dismantled.
- 144 roads engraved around the shore, 18 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.
Green Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Green Lake 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 45 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 144 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 Green 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 Green 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 Green Lake.
Green 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 Green Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Green 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 45 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 144 shore roads engraved, 18 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
