Recently people have been joining me on my Sunday Walks in Downtown Albany. Typically, I walk in Albany when I'm scheduled as a tour guide on the USS Slater (DE Docent). A slide show and a map are detailed at this blog entry. The USS Slater is now open. I plan on walking in Albany on Monday, Memorial Day, May 27. You can contact me at: dedocent@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

2010-06-19 - Walking to Lake George


Today my wife and I decided to walk to Lake George (from the Lake George Outlet Center). The distance is approximately 4 mikes.

We parked in front of the Log Jam Restaurant. Then we walked a few hundred yards along Route 149 and we came to the Warren County Bike Path. The trip is a pleasant walk through the woods on a paved bike path. The path is built on road bed of the the Hudson Valley Railroad, so the grades are very minor. If you start at the outlets, the entire trip is down hill (approx. 280').

Shortly after starting, there is a short side trip to the Ephraim Williams Jr. monument. Williams was killed during the Battle of Lake George. The path passes all the engagement sites of the Battle of Lake George. The Battle occurred in 1755, two years before the more infamous siege of Fort William Henry. The survivors of the siege were harried by Indian allies of the French along the bike path route. This event forms the context for James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans.

The path passes close to the current "Bloody Pond" site (on Route 9). However, it also runs parallel with a small stream (and it crosses it at several points). There is some debate whether the current site of Bloody Pond (on Route 9) is correct. An alternate theory was presented that the actual pond was created on the stream near the bike path.

For a short period the path veers toward Route 9. While the noise is a distraction, there is a nice bench and a Pepsi Machine that provides a nice respite. To get a good view of the Bloody Pond you have to take a short walk south on Route 9.

Continuing North on the path you will pass several motels, King Phillip Campsite, the Wild West Ranch and Magic Forest before it diverges away from Route 9. After a short distance the path merges on the Old Military Road. During the revolution, Henry Knox used this road to haul cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to General Washington. After a short distance on the Old Military Road, the bike path branches back into the forest. After a few minutes of brisk walking you get a glimpse of Lake George.

The path ends at the Road into the Lake George Battle Field State Park. You can take an interesting side trip into the park. There are quite a few interesting monuments, picnic table and restrooms.

After a short walk along Million $ Beach, you come to the pier of the Lake George Steamship Company. Here, for a dollar, you can board a Trolley and ride back to the parking area where you started.

Links (Attractions):
Links (Historical & Information)
Maps:


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