Every Lake
Golden Lake
About 210 acres outside Waukesha, three miles of shoreline, 43 feet down at the deep end.
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 22 ft
- 29 ft
- 36 ft
- 43 ft · bottom
About Golden Lake
Golden Lake sits in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, a spring-fed kettle lake left behind by the retreat of the Wisconsin glaciation roughly 10,000 years ago, the same ice sheet that pocked this part of the state with hundreds of similar depressions. At about 210 acres with roughly three miles of shoreline, it's small enough to cross by canoe in under an hour but deep enough, close to 43 feet at its low point, to stay cool through a Wisconsin summer. The lake sits within easy driving distance of Milwaukee, which has shaped who ends up on its water.
Homes ring most of the shoreline, a mix of longtime cottages and newer year-round houses built as Waukesha County's population grew outward from Milwaukee in the postwar decades. Fishing draws a steady crowd for panfish and bass, and the lake's modest size keeps it out of the way of larger recreational traffic found on bigger area lakes. Ice fishing shanties appear most winters once the surface locks up. Golden Lake has no public boat launch of the scale seen on larger lakes nearby, which has kept traffic light and the water relatively undisturbed compared to its more heavily developed neighbors.
- 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.
Golden Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Golden Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 22 ft, 29 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 43 ft. The lake covers about 0.3 square miles. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Golden 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 Golden 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 Golden Lake.
Golden 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 Golden Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Golden 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 43 ft
- 0.3 square miles of water
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
