Parking
Use the public Buck Mountain/Pilot Knob Parking Area off Pilot Knob Road (1750 Pilot Knob Road). Start on the marked Buck Mountain Trail; the ledge branch is about 200 yards in.
Overview
About Stewart’s Ledge Loop Trail
Why go
- Quick access to an open Lake George overlook
- Mostly gentle, packed-dirt walking
Heads up
- The right turn is unmarked and easy to miss
- One short steep stretch
Stewart’s Ledge Loop is a 1.3-mile loop from the Buck Mountain/Pilot Knob parking area, with a short shared section of the Buck Mountain Trail on the way in and back. Allow 45 to 60 minutes. Most of the walking is on packed dirt and fairly gentle, but there is one short steep stretch and about 300 feet of climbing. It is a good choice for a quick Lake George view, not a substitute for the much longer Buck Mountain summit hike.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Lake George map
Full mapElevation364–640 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 Stewart’s Ledge Loop 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
Buck Mountain and Stewart’s Ledge0:00 / 0:24
“You're coming up on the Buck Mountain trailhead at Pilot Knob. For a quick lake view, I'd choose Stewart's Ledge: forty-five minutes to an hour, with one short, steep stretch.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Squirrel’s Cone Pile
- A Boat Shaped by Tree Roots
- A Valley Before a Lake
- The Lake’s Hidden Layers
- 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 Stewart’s Ledge Loop Trail
Find the unmarked turnStart on the marked Buck Mountain Trail.
Start on the marked Buck Mountain Trail. After roughly 200 yards, take the unmarked branch to the right at a large stone; the marked trail continues straight and a horse path branches left. The ledge route loops back to the Buck trail at another point, then follows the shared access back to the parking area. The junction is the main wayfinding catch: Stewart’s Ledge is not named on the trailhead sign.
The ledge and the viewA couple of glimpses through the trees lead to an open rock ledge with a broad view across Lake…
A couple of glimpses through the trees lead to an open rock ledge with a broad view across Lake George, its islands, and the mountains beyond. The view is the payoff, and the short walk makes this a useful option when you do not have time for Buck Mountain’s summit route. From the ledge, a strip of rock in the foreground helps show the overlook above the wooded slope, with the islands and distant ridges beyond.
Dogs and accessDogs are allowed.
Dogs are allowed. Keep them under control, and leash them at the trailhead as required on New York State land. Begin at the public Buck Mountain/Pilot Knob parking area off Pilot Knob Road.
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.
