Parking
Use the Clay Meadows parking area along NY 9N. Follow the marked approach onto Northwest Bay Trail, then turn onto Five Mile Point Trail; the Deer Leap lot serves a different approach.
Overview
About Five Mile Point Trail
Why go
- A real lakeshore destination after a wooded ridge crossing.
Heads up
- Steep ridge climbing comes twice on the out-and-back.
- Published route distances differ by more than a mile.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake George map
Full mapElevation326–1,526 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 Five Mile Point 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
Clay Meadows and Tongue Mountain0:00 / 0:27
“You're approaching Clay Meadows, the starting point for hikes onto Tongue Mountain.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Empty Skin Beside the Water
- Pole Hill Pond and Walnut Ridge
- The Loon’s Underwater Chase
- What Makes a Rattle Buzz
- 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 Five Mile Point Trail
What you’re taking onFive Mile Point Trail is a rugged out-and-back from Clay Meadows to a point on Lake George,…
Five Mile Point Trail is a rugged out-and-back from Clay Meadows to a point on Lake George, about 6.2 miles round trip along the mapped corridor. Follow Northwest Bay Trail briefly to the red-marked Five Mile Point Trail, climb over the Tongue Mountain ridge, then descend to the shore. Allow about five hours with stops; after reaching the water, you must climb back to the ridge before descending to the trailhead.
Published distances conflict. One route headline gives 2.8 miles, while its detailed directions add up to about 3.7 miles each way; the connected mapped line measures about 3.1 miles each way. Treat 6.2 miles as an estimate and leave time for a longer walk.
Stay on the point routeAt the ridge junction, follow the Five Mile Point markers toward the lake.
At the ridge junction, follow the Five Mile Point markers toward the lake. Continuing along the Tongue Mountain Range Trail leads to other hikes, including Fivemile Mountain, a separate summit. For this route, descend to Five Mile Point and retrace the same trail to Clay Meadows; it is not a loop.
The climb and descentThe route description puts the ridge roughly 1,160 feet above the starting access.
The route description puts the ridge roughly 1,160 feet above the starting access. The path then drops back to the lakeshore, so the return repeats most of that climb. Expect a strenuous day hike with rocky, uneven tread rather than an easy lake stroll. A local route account describes the Tongue Mountain area as dry, so start with ample water; no reliable source is identified along this spur.
At Five Mile PointThe payoff is the lake itself: a shoreline opening across Lake George toward wooded islands and…
The payoff is the lake itself: a shoreline opening across Lake George toward wooded islands and the opposite ridge. Take a pause before turning back. This is the best place to frame the water with the trees or grasses at the edge of the point.
Access and wildlifeStart at the Clay Meadows parking area along NY 9N.
Start at the Clay Meadows parking area along NY 9N. Dogs are allowed and should stay under control. Timber rattlesnakes live in the Tongue Mountain area; give them room, especially on sunny rocky ledges.
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.
