Set in New York's Adirondack Mountains, Lake George is 32 miles long from the town of Lake George at the southern end to Ticonderoga on the north, and it never gets wider than 3 miles. Busy route 9N on the western shore draws tourists to its motels and antique stores, and the eastern side is mostly a remote area—no stores, just dwellings and limited public access. In Ticonderoga, the lake is reduced to a thin, rocky river that connects to its northern neighbor, Lake Champlain. One fine September my wife, Sarah, and I went the distance of George on board a Hunter 260 trailersailer. We had timed our visit to avoid the lake's summer powerboat population and to catch the turning of the leaves. These are precious days to the locals; fall can pass quickly in upstate New York, leaving only a narrow window to breath in the fresh Adirondack air, enjoy the lake and its surrounding foliage without the bother of a crowd, and dip in a glass to drink the water.

You need a permit to launch and sail a boat on Lake George. A one-week user's permit from the Lake George Parks Commission costs $7.50; a season pass varies from $20 to $100. The LGPC sells the permit through a large network of vendors around the lake—marinas and general stores. For more information visit Lake George Parks Commission. Of the 172 islands on Lake George, the state owns 44 equipped with shoreline campsites. Access by sailboat to most of these sites is excellent; most have docks a short walk from the campsites. The sites are open from mid-May to October, and reservations must be made through the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. It costs $16 to reserve a campsite—the same reservation is required even if you plan to use a dock only; the reservation is good for up to two weeks. Reserve a campsite at www.dec.state.ny.us

The Lake George Power Squadron publishes a chart of the lake and sells it at nearby marinas. The chart comes in four sections and has good detail of tight passes, such as the Narrows, a 1-plus mile stretch with close to 50 islands, big and small. Islands and submerged rocks are well-marked throughout the lake, though it takes some getting used to identifying the different types of markers (other than red and green channel buoys).

The lake is 195 feet at its deepest, though we found it a real advantage sailing with the Hunter's shallow draft. It helped in thin-water anchorages and when getting in close to shore to tie off to a tree, with an anchor set of the stern.
Josh Adams

Josh Adams's full account of trailersailing on Lake George appeared in the February 2003 issue of SAIL.

For chart coverage of the Lake George area try: MapTech