Cat Mountain: 09/02/2017

We spend quite a few of our summer weekends in Bolton Landing and end up repeating many of the nearby hikes each year. Cat and Thomas Mountains and the Pinnacle are all great short hikes, but among these Cat, in my opinion, offers the best views of Lake George and the surrounding mountains.

Pole Hill Pond Preserve: 07/04/2016

Picture perfect weather for the holiday weekend meant ideal conditions for family gatherings, cookouts, swimming and fireworks. By the time Monday morning rolled around, we were ready to forego another round of hotdogs for a more active Independence Day, so Beth and I set off to explore one of the Lake George Land Conservancy's lesser known parcels, the Pole Hill Pond Preserve.

Lake George island camping, Fork Island: 06/18/2016

In the 35 years that I've been exploring Lake George I've done a lot of paddling, hiking, motor boating, sailing and water skiing, but I think the best way to really soak up the beauty of the lake is camping on one of the islands. There's nothing like going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning with the lake lapping at your campsite, surrounded by water. No cell phones, no tv, no distractions, just you, the lake and the mountains.

With a perfect weather forecast last weekend, we loaded our family's boat with paddling and camping gear and headed north from Bolton Landing up into the Narrows.

Sleeping Beauty Mt: 06/12/2016

We've done Sleeping Beauty as a family hike in the past, but on a cold (temperatures in the low 50s), blustery mid-June Sunday the kids' enthusiasm level for hiking hovered between 0 and 1 on a ten-point scale. So the kids stayed with the grandparents while Beth and I did the hike. Win - win.

Shelving Rock Mtn: 05/21/2016

We've had a bit of difficulty getting our hiking days in this spring. It seems that we've had commitments when the weather's been good, and when we're free the weather's been lousy. I thought we'd finally break that pattern last weekend. Five days out the forecast for Saturday looked stellar. Next thing I know, it's mostly cloudy, chance of showers. Unwilling to keep the hiking boots in the closet any longer, we headed up the east shore of Lake George to hike Shelving Rock Mountain anyway. The gamble paid off with a great hike, beautiful views and tons of spring wildflowers.

The Pinnacle: 08/08/2015

In a textbook example of environmental groups, local government and citizens working together, the Lake George Land Conservancy just last month closed on its purchase of the prominent peak outside Bolton Landing known as The Pinnacle. The closing was the culmination of more than 5 years of negotiations to protect the parcel. A trail has been marked and is now open to the public leading to the spectacular summit overlooking Lake George. We hiked the new trail this past Saturday.

The trail can best be described in one word: easy. That's not to say that you don't have to work for the view, but it's as easy as 400 vertical feet and a mile each way can be. I'm seriously considering bringing my parents up, and they're in their upper 70s (now I'll find out if they really read my blog). The route follows a jeep trail that would have been the driveway leading to 3 homesites on the ridgetop, climbing rather steeply at times but with good footing and a steady grade. Compared to the rough jeep road up Thomas Mountain (another nearby LGLC site), the Pinnacle trail is much easier.

Cat Mountain: 05/23/2015

The Lake George Land Conservancy's Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve has long been one of my favorite hiking destinations for its convenience (5 minutes from Bolton Landing) as well as the excellent views of Lake George and the southern Adirondacks from its summits. Over the years it seemed I was neglecting Cat - the shorter distance up Thomas (a 4 mile round-trip versus 7 up Cat) more often than not trumped Cat's superior views. But a new route, recently marked by the LGLC, now offers a direct approach to Cat's summit.

Thomas Mtn and High Nopit: 10/11 & 10/12/2014

With family visiting for the weekend, we took advantage of two Lake George Land Conservancy preserves so that we could stay close to home base in Bolton Landing.

Nearby Thomas Mountain is my go-to hike for times when I've got just an hour or two to squeeze in a hike or trail run, and I headed up late in the day on Saturday with my brother to catch the sunset.

Last of the sun's rays illuminate the viewpoint ledges

The sun just about to dip below the horizon behind Crane Mountain

Buck Mountain: 09/28/2014

As anyone who's been outdoors this weekend can attest, the fall foliage season has been progressing rapidly. Where there were just hints of color last weekend, the hillsides are now sporting brilliant yellows, oranges and reds.

Even though we only had Sunday afternoon available, it was simply too beautiful not to hike, so we made the 50-minute drive up to the Shelving Rock / Hogtown trailhead to hike Buck Mountain. The Pilot Knob trailhead for Buck may be more popular (I'll never understand why), but the route from Shelving Rock Road (4.6 miles round-trip, 1100' vertical) fit perfectly into the time we had available.

Black Mountain: 07/26/2014

It almost seemed like cheating. Climbing Black Mountain from the east got us to Lake George's highest summit with only half the vertical that an "honest" climb from the lake shore entails. But when you're hiking with kids, there's no such thing as points for style - a hike's a hike, a summit's a summit.

Fifth Peak, Tongue Mtn: 06/22/2014

Well known for its varied trails and spectacular views of Lake George and surrounding peaks, the Tongue Mountain trail system is something of a southern Adirondack hiking mecca. Nearly 20 miles of trails criss-cross the Tongue Mountain range, but the most popular destination of all is Fifth Peak.

Don't let Fifth Peak's low summit elevation (just 1,800') fool you. Since Lake George's elevation is less than 400', Fifth Peak sports a vertical relief that's comparable to much taller mountains. In fact, I picked Fifth Peak for our hike on Sunday partly because it falls right in the sweet spot for our family: the six mile round-trip with 1500' of vertical is a good match for our kids' current abilities.

Cat and Thomas Mountains trail run: 09/01/2013

This past Sunday Beth and I did an 8-mile trail run over Cat and Thomas Mountains, ownership of which was recently transferred from the Lake George Land Conservancy to New York State.

Although I’m constantly greeted with skepticism from runners and hikers alike regarding the suitability of rugged trails like Cat and Thomas for running, the combination of roots, rocks and vertical pays dividends in the form of balance, agility and strength. At least that’s what I’m hoping for when I run in the Moreau Lake 15K trail run this weekend and the Whiteface Uphill Footrace the next weekend.

Trail run up Thomas Mountain: 09/16/2012

With the upcoming Whiteface Mountain Uphill Footrace as my excuse for “needing” to run up a mountain, I did a quick trail run up Thomas Mountain on Sunday afternoon. Since we were already in Bolton Landing for the afternoon, the trailhead was only a few minutes’ drive away.

View from the blue trail overlook

Thomas Mountain might not be ideal for trail running: there are some steep sections, and the jeep road that I descended has quite a bit of loose rock. But since I only had a one-hour window for my run, convenience wins out.

Lake George island camping: 07/05/2012

I've been boating and paddling around Lake George for more than 30 years, but I never grow tired of visiting The Narrows, the island-studded middle section of the Lake. Steep mountains frame the Lake, and the forests on both shores are protected from development under the Forever Wild clause of the State Constitution. Many of the islands are available for camping, with a dock, picnic table and fireplace at each site.

On Thursday, six of us (Beth, Daniel and me, plus 3 other family members) loaded up my parents' pontoon boat with tents, sleeping bags, a pair of kayaks and enough food for a week, even though we were camping for just one night.

Another Thomas Mountain hike: 07/01/2012

Sunday’s hike up Thomas Mountain at the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve represented “another” Thomas Mountain hike not just because we return to hike there every summer, but also because another route up the mountain has been added to the preserve’s trail network.

The as yet unnamed trail, referred to simply as the “new blue trail” on the preserve’s brochure and map, climbs at a moderate grade (approximately 500’ vertical in 0.8 miles) through a mixed hardwood forest to open ledges on the western slope of the mountain with views of the Schroon River valley and peaks of the southern Adirondacks beyond. The trail then continues through the attractive pine forest along the ridge top to Thomas Mountain’s summit.

Lake George's southern basin from the summit of Thomas Mtn.

Fourth of July, Bolton Landing NY

Happy Independence Day

Cat Mountain: 06/26/2011

I really wanted to hike this weekend. Beth and I had planned to hike Colvin and Blake (two of the peaks Beth needs towards her 46) on Friday, but a dismal weather forecast caused us to scuttle those plans. Saturday was our rain date, but we cancelled that due to… more rain. The weather forecast was better for Sunday but we didn’t have child care, so I pushed for a family hike.

View of the Narrows from Cat Mountain

Upcoming Lake George Land Conservancy Events

The Lake George Land Conservancy is a land trust dedicated to preserving the natural, scenic and recreational resources of the Lake George region. Among the parcels LGLC has protected is the Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve near Bolton Landing, one of my favorite local hiking spots. There will be a spring cleanup at Cat Mountain on Saturday, May 28, from 9-11am, and LGLC is looking for volunteers to help out.

Readers might also consider LGLC's Dine for the Lake event this Thursday, May 5 at the Adirondack Pub and Brewery, where 20% of the evening's dinner proceeds will go to LGLC. For more information on either event, contact the LGLC at info@lglc.org.

photo credit: LGLC

Thomas Mtn Night Hike: 09/24/2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a night-time hike, at least intentionally. This past Friday night, after a great dinner at a Lake George inn, we donned headlamps and hiking boots for the short 1.5 mile hike up to the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Thomas Mountain cabin near Bolton Landing for an overnight stay. A near-full moon almost made the headlamps unnecessary since the trail, a former jeep road, is relatively open to the sky.

The cabin at night

Thomas Mtn: 09/06/2010

For Sale: Cabin, approx 15 x 18, must be removed by purchaser from remote mountaintop.

Sound interesting? I thought so too. I’ll get to the cabin in a moment, but first the hike. The Cat and Thomas Mountains Preserve is a 1,850 acre parcel near Bolton Landing, recently (2003) acquired by the Lake George Land Conservancy to protect the watersheds of Edgecomb Pond (Bolton Landing’s drinking water source) and Lake George. A seven mile trail network on the preserve allows hikers to enjoy magnificent views of Lake George and the southern Adirondacks from the open summits of both peaks. Although the elevations of Cat and Thomas Mountains are relatively low (both top out at just over 2000 feet in elevation), there is an impressive amount of vertical relief due to the low elevation of the lake itself (350’ above sea level).