Parking
Start at the Pike Brook Road Parking Area, which accesses the Black Mountain trail network. Parking capacity and fee details are not listed.
Overview
About Lapland Pond Trail
Why go
- Pond shore and lean-to at the end
- A beaver pond on the approach
Heads up
- About two miles of approach before Lapland Pond
- No documented services along the route
Lapland Pond Trail is a 4.2-mile out-and-back from Pike Brook Road to the east shore of Lapland Pond and its lean-to. Allow about three hours. It is a mostly wooded walk on linked, marked trails, with a steady climb and dips along the way. Go for a pond destination and a full half-day walk through the Black Mountain trail network.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake George map
Full mapElevation1,486–1,827 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 Lapland 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
Black Mountain from Pike Brook Road0:00 / 0:23
“Black Mountain's Pike Brook Road trailhead is ahead. If you want the lake-and-island panorama, take the direct summit route and return the same way, about five miles round trip and three to four hours.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Flowers After the Leaves Fall
- The Colony on a Submerged Branch
- The Porcupine Above Your Head
- Huletts Park
- 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 Lapland Pond Trail
Finding the pond routeStart at the Pike Brook Road Parking Area on the broad Black Mountain approach.
Start at the Pike Brook Road Parking Area on the broad Black Mountain approach. The route shares that approach for about the first mile; at the marked junction, turn left toward the ponds. Follow the marked connection to Lapland Pond, then return the same way. Several trails continue toward other ponds, so watch the junctions if Lapland is your turnaround.
The walk inThe first stretch gains ground on a wide track before the route narrows into forest paths.
The first stretch gains ground on a wide track before the route narrows into forest paths. A large beaver pond sits along the approach. After prolonged rain, lower sections can hold water and mud, so expect slower footing in a wet spell.
At Lapland PondThe trail skirts the east shore and reaches a lean-to on an exposed rock slab above a steep…
The trail skirts the east shore and reaches a lean-to on an exposed rock slab above a steep drop to the water. Stay back from the edge. From the shore, the rock makes a natural foreground for a view across the water to the forested bank.
Keep the summit loop separateThe 5.
The 5.6-mile Black Mountain summit loop also reaches Lapland Pond, after climbing the summit and returning by a different trail. From Pike Brook Road, turning around at the pond makes the shorter 4.2-mile out-and-back.
Access and servicesUse the Pike Brook Road Parking Area, the east-side access to the marked Black Mountain trails.
Use the Pike Brook Road Parking Area, the east-side access to the marked Black Mountain trails. Lot capacity and fees are not listed. Dogs are allowed; leash them at the trailhead and around the lean-to campsite. No toilets, potable water, or food service is documented at the lot or along this route.
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.
