Parking
Use the unpaved Dacy Clearing Parking Area at the end of Dacy Clearing Road. The gate is sometimes closed; check access before setting out, since the Hogtown start adds about 3 miles round trip.
Overview
About Bumps Pond Trail
Why go
- A brush-covered island makes the pond a memorable destination.
Heads up
- Rocky, wet footing slows the opening stretch; a closed access gate can add about 3 miles.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake George map
Full mapElevation1,407–2,123 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Lake George alerts
- ClosureFishbrook Pond North Lean-to site closedThe entire Fishbrook Pond North Lean-to site is closed because the lean-to burned down. - No camping or campfires are allowed at the site until further notice.Official details
- CautionNo Parking Zones enforced along River RoadDo not park in the No Parking Zones along River Road in the Hudson River Special Management Area in the Towns of Lake Luzerne and Warrensburg; DEC is enforcing the restriction.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake George Tour Guide
Your drive to Bumps Pond Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Dacy Clearing and Sleeping Beauty0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing the Hogtown access to Dacy Clearing and Sleeping Beauty Mountain. I'd hike from the clearing to the rocky Lake George overlook and return the same way, roughly four miles round trip.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Buck Mountain from Shelving Rock Road
- Shelving Rock Falls
- Who Cooks in the Woods?
- Shelving Rock Mountain Trail
- 113 audio storiesacross Lake George’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Timber Rattlesnake, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 67 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bumps Pond Trail
A pond outingBumps Pond Trail is a 3.
Bumps Pond Trail is a 3.2-mile out-and-back from Dacy Clearing to a forest pond, using the DEC figure of 1.6 miles each way. The route climbs about 850 feet on the way in; allow roughly 2.5 to 3 hours. It is a moderate woods hike with a definite payoff at the water: a brush-covered island sits in front of the wooded ridge.
Turn left at the junctionFrom Dacy Clearing, follow the shared trail to its first junction, about half a mile in.
From Dacy Clearing, follow the shared trail to its first junction, about half a mile in. Take the left branch for Bumps Pond; the right branch climbs toward Sleeping Beauty. Keep the pond as your turnaround for this outing. The trail continues beyond it toward Fishbrook Pond, making a longer walk.
Rocky footing and climbingThe trail begins wide and rocky.
The trail begins wide and rocky. Large stones serve as stepping points through wet, muddy patches, and the climb continues beyond the first junction. With 850 feet of ascent over the one-way leg, this takes longer than a flat 3.2-mile walk; allow time for careful footing.
At the pondBumps Pond is a quiet woodland stop rather than a summit viewpoint.
Bumps Pond is a quiet woodland stop rather than a summit viewpoint. Look across the water for the low, brushy island and the forested slope behind it. DEC designates one primitive tent site at the pond.
Parking and dogsThe unpaved Dacy Clearing Parking Area is reached by Dacy Clearing Road.
The unpaved Dacy Clearing Parking Area is reached by Dacy Clearing Road. Its gate is sometimes closed; if it is, start from Hogtown and add about 3 miles round trip. Dogs are allowed on state land; keep them under control and restrain them on a leash when others approach.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Lake George
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.
