Lake George has 3,674 acres of parks, 1,051 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Lake George’s land is conserved, about 4,180 acres. 35 miles of mapped trail cross Lake George, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest (15.1 mi), Prospect Mountain Parkway (4.3 mi), McPhillips Preserve (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #91 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
4,180 acres · of 29.8 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,674 ac
1,051 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
3.0 mi paths
Highest peak
2,018 ft
Prospect Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
16 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lake George?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake George is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #91 of 758 in New York. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake George’s overall grade.
Water is 8% of Lake George’s area (3 of 32 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 20%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
22% of Lake George’s land. Water is left out: Lake George has 29.8 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake George’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation4,599 ac
Town or city127 ac
County35 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,246 acState Recreation Area · 1,204 acForest Stewardship Easement · 573 acUnknown Easement · 571 acLocal Park · 158 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 579 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 12 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Lake George Wild Forest
State Conservation Area
State conservation
2,246
Open
Prospect Mountain Parkway
State Recreation Area
State conservation
996
Open
Village Of Lake George Land
Local Park
Town or city
106
Unknown
Hearthstone Point Campground
State Recreation Area
State conservation
97
Open
Lake George Beach
State Recreation Area
State conservation
54
Open
Lake George Battleground Campground
State Recreation Area
State conservation
34
Open
County of Warren Land
Local Park
County
31
Unknown
Lake George Battlefield Park
State Recreation Area
State conservation
23
Open
Town Of Lake George Land
Local Park
Town or city
10
Unknown
Charles R. Wood Park
Local Park
Town or city
5
Open
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
53 places to go in Lake George
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lake George
16 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Lake George
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.0 mi
off-road bike paths
3.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
6Baseball
6Tennis
3Football
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Lake George: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.3
10.4
11.8
13.4
14.7
15.4
15.1
14.0
12.4
10.9
9.6
9.0
High (°F)
29
32
41
55
68
76
80
78
71
58
46
35
Rain (in)
3.2
2.8
3.6
3.9
3.7
4.3
4.2
4.0
3.8
4.2
3.6
3.8
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lake George →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake George
Where can I hike in Lake George?
The longest trail networks: Lake George Wild Forest, 15.1 miles; Prospect Mountain Parkway, 4.3 miles; McPhillips Preserve, 1.1 miles; Wiawaka Uplands, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lake George is conserved land?
22% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lake George’s trails?
Lake George Wild Forest and Prospect Mountain Parkway don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lake George?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.0 of off-road paths and 3.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lake George?
53,163 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake George or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,674 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lake George have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #91 of 758 in New York. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lake George neighbors.
MOHICAN II (steamboat) · Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 3.0