Autumn Cruising on Lake George

Lake George, New York is a beautiful resort area to visit all year round but when the blue skies and tree colors of autumn come around, Lake George becomes spectacular.  The weather could not have been more perfect as the days were Indian Summer warm and nights cool and crisp during my recent three day stay.  The leaves on the trees becoming more colorful each day.

A Fort William Henry cannon overlooking the village of Lake George, NY

There’s a lot you can do at Lake George.  The Village of Lake George has parks, a visitor center open daily, horse drawn carriage rides, shops, eateries and restaurants.   An inexpensive trolley bus ($1 a ride, half for seniors and children)  runs all day long to take you around once your feet get tired.

The Lake George Steamboat Company has many sailings from May thru October.  You can go for a ride or enjoy many of their specialty cruise offerings.  I did a Luncheon Cruise on their ship, the Lac du Saint Sacrement, which was top notch and an excellent value.   A keyboardist, who doubles as the tour guide, and vocalist entertain the ship’s passengers as you see historical mansions and resorts where the rich and famous come to vacation from the rat race of eastern cities like New York.

History of Fort William Henry can be enjoyed by taking a tour which is as entertaining as it is educational.  The tour guides dressed in authentic Mohawk Indian and British garments explain the history of the fort, how people lived there and demonstrate, very loudly, the firing of a musket and cannon.  There are plenty of interactive things to do for the kids and adults to try out.  Kids can even dress up as a British soldier for a fun photo.

Besides being a recreation of the original Fort William Henry, it’s a museum with artifacts found over the last 50 years.  Scenes of what life would have looked like back in the 1700’s are inside many of the fort’s walls showing how hard it was to survive in the wilderness.  Don’t miss the archeology exhibit showing how archeologist uncovered the artifacts seen and used throughout the fort including what was found at the bottom of the well (think pennies, lots and lots of them).

The 100 mile view from the summit of Prospect Mountain overlooking Lake George, New York.

Taking the Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway is a real bargain at $7 per car load. There are three overlooks on the drive up the mountain giving you unique views of Lake George, the village of Lake George and the surrounding Adirondacks.  The end of the highway comes out on a large parking area where you can choose to either walk the rest of the way to the summit or ride a shuttle bus.  This allows people of all ages to enjoy the 100 mile views from there.  Lots of picnic tables around the summit and parking area to use for a family outing while looking out over breathtaking scenery which include the Adirondack High Peaks to the north and the beautiful Lake George to the east.

Click here for these photos and more of Lake George which are available for online and print media in my IthacaStock.com Photo Library.

My trip to Lake George gave me the opportunity to tryout a new lens.  The Tokina 11-16mm, f/2.8 DX Ultra Wide Angle lens was used in all the photos above.  Tokina makes this lens for Nikon and Canon digital SLRs.  The build and glass quality are professional grade but at half the price of Nikon’s wide angle DX lens.  Currently this lens is in short supply.  Keep checking around, as when they do become available, they are quickly snapped up.