Personalized Wood Map Gifts: A Guide to Custom Lake & Town Maps

Some places are more than a dot on a map: the lake where your family spends every summer, the town you grew up in, the golf course where you finally broke 80. A layered wood map turns that place into something you can hang on the wall. Here's how ours are made, how to choose between a ready-made and a custom map, and how to order one as a gift.

What is a layered wood map?

Each map is laser-cut, engraved and assembled by hand in our shop in Newark, NY, in the heart of the Finger Lakes. Our ready-made lake maps stack engraved maple land over hand-painted blue water, with the depth contours scored in so you can see the shape of the lake bottom. Towns and roads are engraved around the shoreline. The finished map goes into a frame and is ready to hang.

• Size: most are 11 x 17 in, framed, set tall or wide to fit the lake. A few run different, like Seneca Lake at 8.25 x 17 in and Lake Champlain at 13 x 17 in, and every map page lists its exact size.
• Frame: 1/2" stained walnut, or painted black at the same price
• Price: $49
• Ships: leaves our Newark, NY shop in 1-2 business days

Browse all ready-made wood maps →

Ready-made or custom: which should you choose?

Ready-made lake and town maps ($49)

If your place is already in our collection, a ready-made map is the fastest and most affordable option. We've mapped lakes, bays and coastlines across the country, from the Great Lakes and the Outer Banks to Key West, Lake Havasu and Long Lake in the Adirondacks.

Custom wood maps of any place ($125)

If it's on Google Maps, we can put it on wood. A custom wood map is built from three layers of real wood, laser-engraved and hand-painted, with the frame painted black as part of the piece for a clean shadow-box look. Popular subjects include:

• Lakes, rivers and waterfront properties
• Golf courses, with fairways, greens, hazards and cart paths (like the Ravenwood Golf Club map we made for a customer in Victor, NY)
• Neighborhoods, towns and city districts
• College and university campuses
• National and state parks
• Farms, vineyards, family property, and hunting and fishing land

Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario maps

We're a Finger Lakes shop, so our home waters are well covered:

• The Finger Lakes: all 11 lakes, from Conesus in the west to Otisco in the east
• Seneca Lake: the largest Finger Lake
• Keuka Lake: the Y-shaped "Crooked Lake," from a Seneca word meaning "canoe landing"
• Canandaigua Lake: the "Chosen Spot"
• Conesus Lake: the westernmost Finger Lake
• Canadice Lake: the smallest Finger Lake
• Owasco Lake: just south of Auburn
• Sodus Bay and Braddock Bay on Lake Ontario
• Oneida Lake: the largest lake wholly within New York

Why a wood map makes a great gift

• Lake house or camp owners: their lake, ready to hang by the door
• Newlyweds and new homeowners: the town where they met, or the street they just moved to
• Graduates: their college campus
• Golfers: their home course
• Anyone who has moved away: a piece of home

Looking for something smaller? See our Personalized Gifts, including engraved ornaments, signs and flasks.

How to order a custom map

1. Open the Custom Wood Map page.
2. In the Custom Details personalization box, tell us the place: a name plus town and state, or paste a Google Maps link. Add anything you'd like included, such as landmarks, roads, water features or property lines.
3. We send you a digital proof before we cut a single piece of wood.
4. Your map ships 3-5 business days after you approve your proof.

Because every custom map is made just for you, custom and personalized items can't be returned. That's exactly why we send a proof first.

Visit the shop

Want to see the maps in person? Stop by Dirt Road Barns at 3542 Fairville Maple Ridge Rd, Newark, NY 14513, or call us at 585.505.4669 with questions about a custom piece.

Shop wood maps or order a custom map.