Up Yonda Farm Upper Loop

Up Yonda Farm Upper Loop is a roughly 1.3-mile circuit from the Farmhouse side of the property, linking the Field Traverse with the Summit Trail, Summit Trail Extension, and Green and Base Loop paths on the return. It gains about 280 feet and usually takes one to two hours with time at the view. Pick this one for a compact walk with both a Lake George vista and a wooded climb; the separate 0.5-mile Base Loop is flatter and easier.

The Field Traverse starts near the Museum and zigzags up a maintained grass path. At the top, the trees open onto a view of Lake George’s Narrows. This is the main payoff, so take a moment before turning into the woods.

From the vista, the Summit Trail climbs gradually through woods to the upper lot on Federal Hill Road. Summit Trail Extension links that area toward Green Trail, and the return uses the Base Loop connector to get back toward the Farmhouse. The wooded paths are natural surface rather than a smooth walking path. On Green Trail, look for old stone walls and water catches left from the farm’s cattle and sheep use. The Cemetery Spur is an optional branch to Federal Hill Cemetery, a New York State Historical Landmark; it is outside this loop.

Up Yonda was the name Dr. Willie Meyer used for the property in the early 1900s. The farm later passed through the DeJonge family before Alice and John Scott donated it to Warren County. The old walls and livestock water catches are the most visible reminders of that working landscape along the trail.

Park in the visitor lot at 5239 Lake Shore Drive and check in at the white Farmhouse before heading out. A day-use fee applies even if you are hiking only. Composting restrooms are near the entrance, and the farm allows carry-in, carry-out picnics by the pond. The lower Base Loop is the easier pick if you want a mostly level stroll; only a section of that trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible.