Lake George, NY/Adirondacks

I went to Lake George, NY this past fall for a week -the last week before the town literally closes shop- and thought it was a great area with lots of photographic -and cycling- potential
Since this was my first time in the far eastern portion of the state
and had other things going on with family
I mostly drove around just checking the region out
but did go for a few hikes and took some photos along the way
I never made it into the northern part of the adirondacks.

I'll probably be going once and sometimes twice a year for the immediate future and would like to know if anyone has any favorite spots/landmarks/trails etc for this region and into Vermont

I was browsing GEH online and found that Stieglitz photographed there
seemingly
very often.
Had a home there, I suspect. Natural back then, however
still a pretty romantic spot
Looking at his "equivalents" I felt most were taken there ..it just seems to be that kinda place

I just looked it up and he indeed did lol



I'd like to spend time there during the late fall and winter when I suspect It's dead.
Anything?

guess I spoke too soon with that whole dead of winter thing

The tourists only go home for those 2 crappy months when the trees are bare and no snow is falling?

There is a huge winter festival once the lake freezes.

And Stieglitz and O'Keeffe spend a lot of time there.

My family vacationed there a few times when I was a kid. I dont really remember to much about it though.

keene valley area. one of my favorites. great rock climbing too!

we are planning a large format shoot up in that area in the spring. all formats welcomed. we post in the get together section over at large format forums.

come along!

eddie

ps. down in my neck of the woods here in the catskills it is worth it too!

Lake George is my daily stomping grounds ... I suggest heading north to Bolton Landing and visit the Sagamore Hotel

Its a little on the cold side right now, the next week or two will mark the annual winter carnival on the lake shore off of Shepard's park

As far as the location of Steigletz's house? Go north of the village head right at the fork, the house was located on the hill above route 9 (the tahoe motel is located below the hill), the pine tree where Georgia O'keefe scattered his ashes is gone but it used to be located where the beach and parking lot of the Tahoe Motel are now... I took a snap shot from there when I figured it out

I live in Saratoga Springs, about an hour south of Lake George, and know the area reasonably well.

Lake George is not totally dead in the winter - there is a winter festival (weather permitting), and a few of the shops remain open. But its definitely far more relaxed in the winter than it is in the summer. Frankly, IMHO, Lake George is a bit of a tourist trap.

There are lots of places to visit and explore in the area. Lake Luzerne is not far away - sleepy little town at the confluence of the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers. There is a fabulous ice cream shop (Papa's), and if you walk next door to the public library you can find a path down the hill to the Hudson River. Doesn't look at all like it does in NYC - rapids breaking over rocks, etc. The lake itself is scenic, and there is a summer camp for kids who have a serious interest in music that offers a excellent summer concert series.

I like to drive north out of Lake George along Route 9N through Bolton Landing, Hague, and on to Ticonderoga. Be advised that other than the Sagamore, there is very little open along this road in the winter. The (reconstructed) Fort Ticonderoga is a destination in Ticonderoga, but be advised that they don't allow tripods. There is also a nice cemetery just south of Ticonderoga (Valley View Cemetery). Further north, at Crown Point, are the ruins of an actual fort that dates back to pre-revolutionary war days. It's now a state park - there's a $6/car admission fee in the summer, but in the winter I suspect that you could just walk in.

You can follow the Adirondack Northway, aka I-87 north to the intersection with Rt. 78, and then work your way over through Keene Valley to Lake Placid, home of two Olympic Winter Games (most recently, 1980). Lake Placid is active year round. A bit further along the same road is Saranac Lake, a slightly large community.

The Adirondack Park is an area of extremely controlled development - one of the current major concerns is that there is a long stretch along I-87 where there is no cell phone coverage, and several people have died after encountering problems in this area and have been unable to call for help. The state wants to correct the problem, but the agency that has authority over the park refuses to approve construction of cell phone towers.

The Adirondack Park is very primitive and is wonderful for camping, mountain climbing, hiking, etc, but there is very little commercial activity and unless you own a "camp", or know someone who does, you probably will have to pay a small fortune to find lodging. The one "big town" (that that is a very relative term) is Blue Mountain Lake, home of the Adirondack Museum. The museum is worth a visit.

Lake George is beautiful farther north, away from the busy town. The week after Labor Day the lake becomes much, much quieter. I've gone canoeing early in the morning and scarcely seen anyone else on the lake, for miles to the north or south.

Steiglitz and O'Keefe were not the last artists to appreciate the area. The sculptor David Smith had a studio at Bolton Landing from the 1930's until his death in 1965.

Enjoy the lake and take beautiful photographs! Please remember that many of the roads around the lake cross very steep hills and are quite dangerous (or impassable) in the winter, though.

Look for Chapel Lake up the interstate to, about, exit 32 (not sure, couldn't find it this summer) and west about 10-20 minutes. Smallish lake with sheer rock face opposite. Great compositional possiblities. Also, Ausable Chasm and the Falls. Also, on the road to Chapel Lake, there are falls on the left about 5 minutes off the interstate.

I guess your not a motorcyclist or you would know about this. The first week in June is Americade. Well over 50,000 bikes show up and late in the week the streets are stopped near dead from all the bikes. And no car parking anywhere.
A long wait for food or gas. It's the Gold Wing capitol of the world. Rooms are reserved a year in advance. I've been staying in Rutland Vt. the last ten years it's so crowded. But if you want to shoot bikes...

Chapel Pond

My family came across this lovely little lake and it is a really nice spot - we almost missed it as it came up on us pretty fast.

Its on Rte 73 (on the left as you go north). Take exit 30 off Rte 87 and turn left onto Rte 9 north. Take that until Rte 73 and its about another 4 miles north right next to Round Mountain (which is the opposite side of the lake with the sheer rock race mentioned). About 1 hour from Lake George.

You have to scramble down a slope to get to the lake shore, but its well worth paying a short visit and taking some photos. Very tranquil.

There is a small parking area beside the road.

Christopher Walrath said:

Look for Chapel Lake up the interstate to, about, exit 32 (not sure, couldn't find it this summer) and west about 10-20 minutes. Smallish lake with sheer rock face opposite. Great compositional possiblities. Also, Ausable Chasm and the Falls. Also, on the road to Chapel Lake, there are falls on the left about 5 minutes off the interstate.

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sjhutton said:

Its on Rte 73 (on the left as you go north). Take exit 30 off Rte 87 and turn left onto Rte 9 north. Take that until Rte 73 and its about another 4 miles north right next to Round Mountain (which is the opposite side of the lake with the sheer rock race mentioned). About 1 hour from Lake George.

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Another nice spot is (there was a url link here which no longer exists), a pair of lakes further up Rt. 73 between Keene and Lake Placid. There is a parking area between the two lakes.

Dummy me couldn't find it in 07. Exit 30. DUMMY! DUMMY! Now I need to go back up with the 4x5.