Lake George NY, NY
Rocky forest walking ends at an open Lake George overlook.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake George Tour Guide
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 area
The Trees That Shade the Streams“On a woodland walk, look for an evergreen with short, flat needles and tiny cones hanging from its twigs. That may be an eastern hemlock, one of the trees helping keep Lake George's streams cool.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Lake George Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Uncas Cliff via Terzian Woodlot is a moderate out-and-back from the woodlot kiosk to an open-rock overlook above Lake George. The connected mapped route is about 0.7 mile each way, or 1.4 miles round trip from the kiosk. Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours for the stream crossings, uneven tread and short steep pitch at the end. The lake-and-mountain view is the payoff.
The written directions place the cliff junction 1.0 mile from the kiosk, then add a 0.1-mile spur, while the connected route line is shorter. Treat the posted mileage as uncertain, check the kiosk map and allow extra time if the marked tread follows the longer description. The 1.4-mile figure here starts at the kiosk; reaching it on foot from the roadside access adds distance.
The trail climbs to a knoll, drops to a small stream, rises over another knoll and reaches a larger brook crossing. It follows the brook briefly, turns right toward an old logging road, then turns left for a gradual climb. At the junction, take the yellow spur to Uncas Cliff: it starts level, makes a short steep climb and then follows a ridge to the open rock. Going straight leads toward Uncas Falls, a separate walk.
The cliff opens onto a broad view across Lake George and the surrounding Adirondack ridges, with a bench near the rock. For a useful phone photo, keep some of the open rock in the foreground so the lake and distant ridges have a sense of scale.
The 132-acre woodlot protects a tributary flowing to Lake George and habitat for timber rattlesnakes. It is a mixed hardwood forest with hemlock and occasional pine. The Terzian family held the land for decades; a three-month community fundraising effort helped preserve it, and it joined the conservancy's lands in 2014.
Public foot access crosses State Forest Preserve land to reach the kiosk. The preserve is open year-round from dawn to dusk; dogs must be leashed, and hunting requires a permit. The trails beyond Uncas Cliff connect to Silver Bay YMCA land and are for members, so turn back at the public route.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateUncas Falls via Terzian Woodlot2.2 mi · 2 hr · At the trailheadTwo brook crossings reward the climb with a wooded waterfall.
ModerateDeer Leap Trail3.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayA rocky overlook above Lake George on a rolling woodland hike.
ChallengingTongue Mountain Range Trail10.8 mi · 9 hr · 1.7 mi awayBig ridge views come with a long hike and no road exit.
ModerateFivemile Mountain Trail from Deer Leap7.2 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayRidge, exposed rock, blueberries, and distant peaks reward a long climb.
EasyLeeming Jelliffe Preserve Trail0.3 mi · 15 min · 1.9 mi awayA short climb ends on rocks above the Narrows and Silver Bay.
EasyJabe Pond Trail1.6 mi · 1 hr · 2.5 mi awayA short pond walk with rocky shore stops along the way.
EasyLittle Jabe Pond Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 2.6 mi awayA quick yellow trail to a smaller, more isolated pond.
ModerateWardsboro Road Trail7.8 mi · 4.5 hr · 4.4 mi awayOld farm walls and a small cemetery mark this long crossing.
Picnic area · 1.4 mi awayO’Dell IslandA boat-only picnic stop on Lake George, with two dockside sites.
Campground · 2.1 mi awayNarrow Island Group CampgroundBoat-only sites make this a proper island stay.
Beach · 2.3 mi awayHuletts ParkA free swimming beach with mountain views and room to picnic.
Picnic area · 4 mi awayPicnic IslandA boat-only picnic island with a pavilion beside Lake George.
Beach · 4.8 mi awayHague Town Beach ParkA shallow family beach with a story rooted in one woman's wish.
Picnic area · 4.9 mi awayPeggy’s PointA shaded lakeside picnic stop with a small flower garden.
Picnic area · 5.6 mi awayAsas IslandA small boat-only picnic island with three numbered dock sites.
Picnic area · 5.9 mi awayBlack Mountain Point Picnic AreaA picnic stop among the trees on Lake George's east shore.Parkwolf’s Lake George ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
