Every Lake
Lower Mud Lake
The Yahara River threads Madison's lake chain through 13 miles of Lower Mud Lake shoreline.
- 6 ft · first step
- 12 ft
- 17 ft
- 23 ft
- 29 ft
- 35 ft · bottom
About Lower Mud Lake
Lower Mud Lake sits on the Yahara River between Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa in Dane County, Wisconsin, part of the four-lake chain that also includes Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. The Yahara lakes formed in a river valley reshaped by glacial ice at the end of the last ice age, and the river still links all four lakes and their smaller neighbors into a single connected watershed. At roughly 2,286 acres, Lower Mud Lake covers ground comparable to its better-known neighbors upstream, though it draws far less traffic and far less attention.
The lake borders McFarland to the north and Stoughton to the south, both small Dane County towns built around the Yahara chain. Its 13 miles of shoreline run mostly through wetland and marsh rather than residential frontage, drawing waterfowl hunters, paddlers, and anglers rather than lakefront homeowners. A recorded maximum depth of about 35 feet gives it more structure than its name suggests, and the current from Waubesa keeps water moving through it toward Kegonsa and, eventually, the Rock River.
- 381 roads engraved around the shore, 8 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.
Lower Mud Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Lower Mud Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 6 ft, 12 ft, 17 ft, 23 ft, 29 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 35 ft. The lake covers about 3.7 square miles, and 381 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 Lower Mud 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 Lower Mud 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 Lower Mud Lake.
Lower Mud 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 Lower Mud Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lower Mud 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 35 ft
- 3.7 square miles of water
- 381 shore roads engraved, 8 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
