Lake George hikes ?

we're camping on the islands several times this summer and I'm looking for info on trails from the lake UP. any help would be appreciated.

You could hike the Tongue mountain range. There is a dock near the tip of the tongue on the east side.

There is also a trail up Black mountain from the shore.

I used to camp on Turtle Island every year as part of the IOCA (Intercollegiate Outing Club) Fall Lake George trip through RPI (where I went to college). From Turtle Island we used to canoe straight across toward the Tongue Mountain Range, drag the canoes up to the land and bushwhack straight up hill for about 20-30 minutes until we got to the trail that traverses the Tongue Mountain Range. From there you can hike up to the ridge and there are gorgeous views. You can also avoid the bushwhack and "park" your canoe near the point (might be called French Point?) and the trail rund right by there.

Have FUN !!! the island camping is great and hiking on the Tongue Mountain Range is also fantastic.

sli74

ADK's Eastern Region book and map are a good resource. Lots of nice hikes on the east side of the lake as well as on the Tongue Mt. range. A little further north the Pharoah Lake area also has some nice hiking described in the same guide.

Chip there is a trail extending from Black Mt Point on the eastern shore down to Split Rock Bay about six miles in length. It is a nice trip in itself. But it allows access to trails up to Sleeping Beauty Mt an open summit with fine views. At black Mt Point there is the trail up Black Mt also an excellent open summit. Part way up Black Mt the trail forks where a second trail leads to Black Mt Ponds, real nice lean-to and attractive pond. There are two ponds actually. The trail extends further east to Lapland Pond, another pretty pond with nice lean-to. From there you can hike south past several ponds with lean-tos and up Sleeping Beauty. Or turn north and loop over Black Mt a fine trip of its own. South of Lapland the trail passes a small pond, another lean-to and arrives at Fish Brook Pond two lean-tos large pond really pretty. From there you can climb over Sleeping Beauty or go around it to Bumps pond and down to the open views of Shelving rock and ultimately Split Rock bay on the lake. Then of course from there to Black Mt Point along the lake. There is also a water fall near split rock Bay. There is less on the west side of the lake but there is access to Five Mile Point where you can find the trail system of the Tongue Mt Range. Careful of rattlesnakes on the Tongue Range though. See the ADK Guide to the Eastern Adks. There is a lot in there.

Roger's Rock is a short hike that offers impressive views, especially how the rock slope goes right into the lake.

Buck Mtn from the West (at Pilot Knob, right on the lake) is a nice hike too, though the trail is overused to the point of being really eroded and not too picturesque in the lower reaches. Hike it now, before Frankenpine appears (see other thread). I'm not sure exactly how to get up to the road from the lake here though, lots of camps, ? if public access though it's only a few feet away, literally.

AntlerPeak said:

Chip there is a trail extending from Black Mt Point on the eastern shore down to Split Rock Bay about six miles in length. It is a nice trip in itself.

Click to expand...

I generally did Black from Black Mtn Point (boat dock--requires permit). Nice hike and views. One can also climb Black via road access to the east.

I think AntlerPeak may be referring to Shelving Rock Bay...

Doug

There is a trail to 5 mile point on Tongue Mountain Range, but there is no dock... you could drop yourself off there and do the range if you wanted and then get picked up at the end of the Tongue.

Nothing much down there except some meadows and some nice stonework from a CCC project. The brook that crosses this trail is fed from a pond with many live beavers treat any water you take.

Remix said:

There is a trail to 5 mile point on Tongue Mountain Range, but there is no dock... you could drop yourself off there and do the range if you wanted and then get picked up at the end of the Tongue.

Nothing much down there except some meadows and some nice stonework from a CCC project. The brook that crosses this trail is fed from a pond with many live beavers treat any water you take.

Click to expand...

Is that the one I am thinking about? . . . Five Mile Point . . . it is pretty easy to drag the canoes up onto shore but if you have motorized boats, I am uncertain how you would "dock" them.

sli74

sli74 said:

I used to camp on Turtle Island every year
sli74

Click to expand...

We're on Brush and Uncas 3 long weekends this summer, right next to Turtle.
When I was a kid my parents had friends that spent the entire summer camped on the islands.
The guy would commute into work from there.
I guess "Reserve America" has put an end to that.
Thanks for everyones trail suggestions.

sli74 said:

Is that the one I am thinking about? . . . Five Mile Point . . . it is pretty easy to drag the canoes up onto shore but if you have motorized boats, I am uncertain how you would "dock" them.

sli74

Click to expand...

Yes I think so. It is just a small meadow and a big rock. IIRC, the landing is easy because a smooth ledge slides down into the water.

Chip- Also there are 4+ landings in Northwest Bay along the Tongue. I have never seen a permit required sign because there are no docks. But some landings have fire rings and would make for a nice picnic with the family.

The point at the southern tip of the Tongue Mt. range is Montcalm Point. There is a state owned dock on the east side of Tongue (the Narrows side) a short distance northeast of the point. The dock is available on a first-come, first served basis. Further northeast of the dock is private property.

The hiking trail that extends from Black Mtn. Point down to Shelving Rock Bay (called Log Bay by the boaters) is a really nice hike. There is, however, private property for about a mile at the Knapp estate and you would have to hike up the ridge and go to the east of Shelving Rock. From Shelving Rock Road you can access the east trail to Buck. The nearest state-owned dock for this area would be the docks at Commission Point. Shelving Rock is a nice climb--not too hard. If you want to climb Black, you would use the docks at Black Mtn. Point.

Check with the DEC office at Glen Island about getting a day pass to use these docks. The last I checked, if you had a valid camping pass for an island, they would give you a day pass for one of the picnic sites in the Narrows. In addition to the 16 docks at Black Mtn. Point, there are two boat sites called A and B that they used to reserve for hikers. Go early in the morning if you want a picnic dock, especially on the weekends.

Definitely look for the ADK guide to the Eastern ADKs or the older McMartin book about the same area. It has a rich history and it is worth reading about it.

Pat T