The Pinnacle for Sunrise - Bolton Landing - 9/27/15

On this day, Leesa, our dog Rev and I, along with our friend Mark, chose to head up to the Pinnacle in Bolton Landing for sunrise.  This wonderful Lake George Land Conservancy property provides an outstanding view looking east to Lake George in exchange for a meer 15 minute hike and a climb of 450 vertical.  

We parked at the parking area on Edgecomb Road and started our climb at about 6:10 and reached the summit at 6:25. On this morning there was a long thin series of clouds laying just above the lake and drifting northward.  The clouds added some interest to the panorama without blocking the view of the lake.

It was chilly (38 degrees) and a light breeze was blowing as we all stood there in amazement clicking away with our cameras.  The cool weather didn't bother me as I snapped over 200 pictures in about 15 minutes.    

I'll let the sample of pictures below speak for themselves. 

Sunshine!

As we were making our way down, I noticed a new yellow marked trail heading north from near the summit.  A laminated piece of paper indicated that it lead 1.3 miles to Edgecomb Pond.   I came back later in the day to  follow the trail.

I first went back to the summit of Pinnacle, then took the yellow trail north.  It continued north almost until Finkle Road, then turn west, reclimbing all the elevation that it had lost, until it emerged on Edgecomb Road, about a quarter mile north of the trail to Edgewood Rond (and the red trail to Cat Mountain).   The trail is marked the entire way with yellow LGLC markers, but it has not received any foot traffic yet so care is needed to follow the markers.

Once out to Edgecomb Road, I walked the 0.8 miles on the road back to the Pinnacle parking area.

To finish the day, Leesa and I went for a kayak paddle on Glen Lake.

The early afternoon view from the Pinnacle. 

The Pinnacle (Red) trail and the Yellow Trail (shown in blue)

The Pinnacle - Bolton Landing, NY - 8/1/15

I don't know of a better viewpoint for Lake George that can be reached so easily.  The Lake George Land Conservancy just acquired the Pinnacle in Bolton Landing and it provides access to a glorius view.  A trail has already been opened to the public, with the trailhead starting across the street from 139 Edgecomb Road in Bolton Landing.  There is a small parking lot if you drive in a 100 feet or so.  Alternatively you can park at the Bolton Conservation Park just to the south.

The trail follows an old woods road for the most part.  There is a short footpath section to avoid a neighboring property.  As you climb climb the woods road there are multiple switchbacks to east the grade.  After 0.7 miles and 480' of elevation gain, you reach the viewpoint.  The climb took us about 20 minutes.  This would be a fantastic climb for sunrise!

The Pinnacle, as seen from Bolton Conservation Park

The trailhead gate

A welcoming pointer

The view is a panorama from the Narrows and Tongue Mountain Range all the way to the southern tip of the lake.  While we were there, a quick rain passed through the Narrows.

Looking East - Green Island in the center left foreground

Looking NE into the Narrows before the rain

during the rain

Looking SE

Don't miss this short hike when you are in the Bolton area.  It's well worth taking an hour out of your day.  You may even decide to come back as we have. 

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  1.4 miles

Hike Time:  1 hour 

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 400' 

Terzian Woodlot - Hague, NY - 8/1/15

The Land George Land Conservancy owns and/or manages an impressive number of parks and preserves around Lake George.  While we've been to many of them, we spent Saturday exploring 3 more of their properties.  The first one for the day was the Terzian Woodlot in Hague, NY.

The trail on the Terzian Woodlot leads to a couple fine features which are on the property of the Silver Bay YMCA.  By joint agreement, hikers are allowed to access these features.  Uncas waterfall is the destination of the main 1.4 mile (orange) trail.  The falls, while not large lies in a pretty woodland setting.

Uncas cliff is reached is taking the short yellow side trail.  The cliff affords fine views of Lake George, which always makes a hike worthwhile.

We visited the waterfall first, then went over to the cliff to enjoy the view of the lake.

Uncas Waterfall

 

Rev likes the view from Uncas Cliff

Looking NE

Looking SE

On our way down, we found a fascinating leaf that that partially turned a flaming orange while the rest of the leaf was green.  An early sign of Fall.
 

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  3 miles

Hike Time:  2 hours

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 700'

Terzian Woodlot route

Anthony's Nose, Record Hill and Flat Rock Shoreline - Lake George, NY - 4/4/15

Lake George, in the southern Adirondacks of upstate New York is surrounded by many beautiful mountains, hills and overlooks.  One of the impressive areas, is on the NE side of the lake and is known as Anthony's Nose.  Record Hill is the high point of land and the terrain cascades down on the west side to Anthony's Nose and then again to Profile Rocks.  The area has a similar feel to the popular Shelving Rock area farther south in the Narrows.  While Shelving Rock is accessible by car, Record Hill was not, until now.

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has owned the 187 acres of land encompassing Anthony's Nose, Record Hill and Profile Rocks since 2000, but the area was only accessible by boat.  Similarly, the State of New York owns the 244 acre Flat Rock Shoreline immediately to the north as part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, but there is no land access.  

The LGLC just announced on March 31, 2015 that they have secured public access for Record Hill through purchase of additional lands and easements.   A parking lot will be developed on Schwerdtfeger Road and the LGLC will mark the official trail this spring.  This is great news!

Leesa and I were headed south today from Schroon Lake to Lake George so we decided to take a look at this area before the official trail is marked.  We parked off the shoulder of Schwerdtfeger Road at the location where the trail will start, and headed into the woods.

It was a fascinating weather day.  Yesterday it was 60 degrees, but this morning it was 30 degrees and snowing.  Wet snow clung to the trees as we headed into the woods, following an unmarked trail that has been used by locals for years.     

The start of the unmarked trail to Record Hill from Schwerdtfeger Road

In most areas the snow accumulated on the ground, but in some areas it did not.  Later in the day, the partial sunshine caused the new snow to vanish in a hurry.  Our snowy entrance was a leafy exit in the afternoon.

Let the climb begin...

Looking west to Lake Champlain

It was quite beautiful as we climbed.  We did not bring snowshoes with us, although there were a few small areas on the north face were there was still a foot or more of snow on the ground.  All south facing slopes were bare except for the morning dusting of snow.

Looking south on Lake George across Blairs Bay 

a zoom view looking south on Lake George

Low cloud cover as the snow was clearing out

Record Hill offers great views south and west.  Skies were beginning to clear and small patches of blue sky were appearing.  To the west we could see Anthony's Nose below us.  That would be our next stop, but cliffs prevented a direct approach.  We went north and hooked around to the SW to get to the ridge heading west to Anthony's Nose.

   

Looking down on Anthony's Nose from Record Hill

We were now hiking in snow, but the old snow was now soft and melting and was easy to walk in.

  

Leesa descending the NW face of Record Hill

looking back up towards Record Hill 

Once we got on the ridgeline heading towards Anthony's Nose, we found red trail markers from the LGLC.  We followed them to the Nose.  We later found out that Anthony's Nose boasts a falcon nesting area, so these discs will be removed so people are not directed to that area.

An LGLC trail on the ridge to Anthony's Nose 

Open and easy walking heading towards Anthony's Nose

Looking south from Anthony's Nose

Mike on Anthony's Nose

This picture from my cell phone actually came out better

Leesa and Rev at Anthony's Nose

The 2nd picture from my cell phone

From Anthony's Nose, we did a similar maneuver by going north then hooking SW to get to Profile Rocks.  The view here wasn't as good as above, but still nice.  Next we followed an old road NW to the edge of the lake at Flat Rock.  There is a large old collapsing camp there that is apparently owned by Fort Ticonderoga. 

Leesa coming down the old road from Profile Rocks to Flat Rock

Looking NW from Flat Rock to Roger's Rock

Rev at Flat Rock 

An old camp at Flat Rock owned by Fort Ticonderoga

From Flat Rock it was time to head back to the car.  I chose to head directly SE  and climb towards Record Hill where we could take the unmarked trail back down to the car.  Once we reached Record Hill and began the descent, we found that the snow from the morning was all gone.  It looked like a different area. 

Heading south from Record Hill on the return

Our turning point to head east back to Schwerdtefeger Road.  A cairn marked the spot.

We loved this hike.  Lots of nice terrain, great views and the hike can be done in a few hours.  Thanks LGLC for acquiring this property!  It's a great addition to your holdings and would be a great addition to the State Forest Preserve if that happens in the future.

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:   5.2 miles

Hike Time:  4 hours (leisurely pace)

Total Vertical Gain:  ~1850'

 

The location of Anthony's Nose is SE across the lake from Roger's Rock

The route for the day

A view from Google Earth