by WisCartography

Elkhart Lake

About this Map

Elkhart Lake is a remarkably deep glacial lake whose compact shoreline conceals a dramatic underwater landscape. Carefully drawn bathymetric contours reveal steep drop-offs, submerged ridges, deep basins, and depths reaching approximately 119 feet. In places, the tightly spaced contours make the lake’s steep underwater slopes especially striking.

The map balances this detailed bathymetry with the village and landscape surrounding the lake. Numerous local landmarks are shown, including The Osthoff Resort, Siebkens Resort, The Shore Club, SwitchGear Brewing, Off the Rail, Two Fish Gallery, Brown Baer, Route 67 Saloon, Camp Brosius, Quit Qui Oc Golf Club, Fireman’s Park and Beach, and other familiar places around the community. Shoreline features such as Sheboygan Bay, Turtle Bay, Schwartz Bay, Talmadge Point, and Point Elkhart are also identified, along with parks, roads, buildings, and the public boat ramp.

Elkhart Lake also supports a diverse fishery, including Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, panfish, and other species.

The roads surrounding the lake tell another fascinating story. Before the present-day Road America racecourse opened in 1955, sports-car races were held on public roads around Elkhart Lake and passed directly through the village. The historic racing route is shown on the map, preserving that unusual chapter of local motorsports history alongside the modern landscape. SwitchGear Brewing takes its name from this history and occupies the area associated with the old racecourse’s start and finish line.

With its extraordinary depth, wooded shoreline, resort community, local gathering places, and road-racing history, Elkhart Lake packs an unusual amount of character into a relatively small area. This map was designed to capture not only the remarkable landscape beneath the water, but also the places and history that make Elkhart Lake such a distinctive Wisconsin community.