Thomas Mountain Trail

Thomas Mountain Trail is a roughly 3-mile out-and-back from the Valley Woods Road lot to a rocky overlook above Lake George. Allow about two hours and around 700 feet of climbing. The first part is a broad old road; the steeper climb comes later, so this is an approachable summit walk if you are comfortable with an uphill finish. The mapped route measures about 1.5 miles each way; printed directions round the two legs to 0.7 miles each.

Follow the blue markers from the parking area along a wide dirt logging road. It rolls gently through the woods for roughly 0.8 mile to a clearing and junction. Turn right onto the yellow trail, also called the Richard Hayes Phillips Trail, toward Thomas Mountain. The upper stretch stays broad but gets steeper and looser underfoot, with short easier pitches between climbs. At the fork, do not continue on blue toward Cat Mountain unless you mean to add a different hike.

The trail ends at an open summit with natural rock shelves and a broad view across Lake George. Look south toward the lake's southern basin and Long Island; the surrounding Adirondack ridges fill the rest of the horizon, with Gore Mountain visible to the north on a clear day. For a photo, keep a shelf of summit rock in the foreground so the lake and wooded ridges have some scale.

This 1,909-acre preserve protects a piece of the Lake George watershed. The Lake George Land Conservancy assembled the parcel in 2003 and transferred it to New York State in 2013 for the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Finkle Brook runs through the preserve and forms Edgecomb Pond, Bolton Landing's drinking-water source.

Reach the Cat & Thomas Trailhead from Valley Woods Road by turning onto Edgecomb Pond Road; the lot is just past Finkle Road and has a kiosk and trail register. If it fills, roadside parking is allowed as long as driveways stay clear. The preserve is open for public recreation from dawn to dusk year-round. Dogs are allowed on leash. Hunting and trapping are permitted, so wear bright colors and hike with others during hunting season. Food, drinking water and restrooms are not listed at the trailhead or along the route; bring what you need.