Picnic area · Lake George NY
A compact island stop that turns lunch into a boat outing.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake George Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake George NY. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lake George audio tourRecorded for this area
A Boat Shaped by Tree Roots“An Adirondack guideboat can look like a canoe until you notice the oars. It's a rowing boat, developed to carry people and gear through the region's lakes and ponds.”
Plays on the road 1.1 mi from Speaker Heck Island in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
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Guide
Speaker Heck Island is a small, wooded day-use island in Lake George, off Assembly Point. It suits an afternoon picnic, a short wander and a swim; getting there is part of the outing because the only access is by boat. Reserve a specific day-use site online before you set out, and plan to land at the site you booked. Dogs are prohibited on the island and its docks, and on boats tied up at the docks.
The island has numbered dock sites, picnic shelters and basic outhouse toilets. Dock sites are reserved online, while the pavilions are first-come, first-served. Bring your own lunch and drinking water, and plan it as a self-contained stop; there is no road or parking on the island.
For most of its history, this was South Island. It was renamed in 1968 for Oswald D. “Ozzie” Heck, who served as New York Assembly Speaker for 22 years. The dedication credited him with backing measures that helped protect Lake George, including the laws that enabled Million Dollar Beach and the Prospect Mountain Highway.
A small cove at the island’s north end is used for swimming. From the water or a nearby shore, the wooded island sits low against the open lake and a distant ridgeline. For a photo, keep some of the rocky waterline in the foreground so the trees read as an island rather than a green strip on the horizon.
Wildlife
34 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
26 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
22 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
60 sightingsLoonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
33 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
84 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake George. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSchumann Preserve at Pilot Knob Orange Trail to Gazebo1.4 mi · 1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA short, steep climb to a gazebo above Lake George.
ModerateSchumann Preserve Blue Trail and Waterfall Loop4.2 mi · 2.2 hr · 1.8 mi awayRocky gazebo climb, then a forest loop to seasonal falls.
ChallengingBuck Mountain Trail from Pilot Knob6.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA long climb, then open rock above the lake.
EasyStewart’s Ledge Loop Trail1.3 mi · 54 min · 2.9 mi awayA short, unmarked loop to an open Lake George overlook.
ChallengingProspect Mountain Trail3 mi · 3 hr · 4.5 mi awayA steep village climb opens onto Lake George’s big summit panorama.
ModerateWarren County Bikeway9.4 mi · 3.2 hr · 4.5 mi awayA paved rail route with a bridge, rolling grades, and local history.
ModerateInman Pond Trail from Sly Pond Road2.6 mi · 1.8 hr · 4.7 mi awayForest walk to a pond, with a steeper spur near the end
Campground · 0.7 mi awayLong Island CampgroundA wooded island camp, with a dock at every site.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayDiamond IslandA Revolutionary War story comes with this boat-only picnic stop.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayHearthstone Point CampgroundA 243-site campground with a sandy swimming beach.
Campground · 3.7 mi awayLake George Camping VillageA wooded base with pools and tent, RV, or cabin stays.
Sight · 3.9 mi awayWiawaka Center for WomenA historic women's retreat with dockside views and quiet grounds.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayLake George Historical Association MuseumA preserved courtroom and jail tell Lake George’s history up close.
Beach · 4.2 mi awayUsher Park and BeachA small beach below the picnic park, down a steep hill.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayAdirondack Winery Lake George Tasting RoomA guided seven-wine flight comes with a glass to keep.Parkwolf’s Lake George ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
