LAKE GEORGE paddling, Adirondack Park NY

 

Nov 17, 2024 - I've been waiting for a day like this - warmish, mostly sunny, with minimal wind. LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Air & water temp in the low 50s - I wore a wet suit. Saw mergansers, mallards, gulls, crows, 2 bald eagles, 8 loons, & 7 motorboats. 3.5 hours.

July 3, 2024 - early morning

June 28, 2024 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking - one more time before things get too crazy. Early morning temps in the Adks in the 30s & 40s with very low humidity - I can take that for 6 months. 8-9 am: almost peaceful, very light motorboat traffic. Soon saw a loon - always a good omen. 10-11 am: boat traffic picking up, wakes up to 1'. A few other paddlers out. Temp rising thru the 50s & 60s (water temp 73), mostly sunny, light wind. 3 loons. 9 miles, 0' el gain, 3.5 hours. ProcellaCOR could be going into the lake any day https://lakegeorgeassociation.org/procellacor .

June 12, 2024 - LAKE GEORGE & DUNHAM BAY MARSH kayaking. The marsh tends to get filled with weeds thru the summer so I wanted to get in there early in the season & get to the S end. Temp mid-50s to high 60s, mostly cloudy, light winds up to 5 mph. Started at 8:15 am. Very light motorboat use - maybe 5 boats in an hour, & all but one were over a mile away. Saw a loon in the bay & some map turtles, swallows nest under the NY 9L bridge. Both bullhead & fragrant white lilies were flowering in the marsh, also some sheep laurel, climbing nightshade, & bladderwort. 5 beaver lodges. Nice & quiet in the marsh. Lots of red-winged blackbirds, a yellow warbler. The channel gets narrower as one heads S. Got to the S end after 75 minutes, ~2.5 miles S of the bridge, shores more woody but nowhere to get out. Turned around at an old beaver dam after watching the antics of 2 green herons. Back in the bay, a great blue heron stood where I had seen the 2 turtles before. 2 loons out on the lake. A bit more boats on the lake after noon. 14 miles, 5.6 hours.

May 17, 2024 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Minimal wind, temp rising thru the 60s & into the low 70s, water temp 58. Hit a few islands: Long, Speaker Heck, Canoe (private), Diamond, & Tea (private). Met up with 4 loons while heading from Long to Canoe - very entertaining, good loony tunes too. Light mobo traffic early (9 am), picked up a bit after 11 am. 9.7 miles, 3.6 hours.

May 7, 2024 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Minimal wind, temp 55-70F, sunny - gotta paddle. Water temp 55F. Light motorboat activity. Gulls, swallows, geese, buffleheads; got a few loon calls but I could not see the loon. 8.2 miles, 3 hours.

April 10, 2024 - First loon of spring.

Jan 21, 2024 - The lake froze over. On the 20th I saw goldeneyes, buffleheads, mallards, mergansers.

Jan 27, 2024 - Warmed up for a few days, some rain. Thin ice. Saw hooded & common mergansers.

Jan 16, 2024 - 2 loons.

Jan 4, 2024 - Goldeneyes & buffleheads. A stiff NW wind.

Jan 3, 2024 - 4 loons.

Jan 1, 2024 - 28-30*F.

Dec 21, 2023 - Temp in the mid-20s & NNE wind 15-20 knots. Buffleheads, goldeneyes, long-tailed duck.

Dec 16, 2023 - 1 loon, 6 buffleheads, 12 goldeneyes, mallards, 1 long-tailed duck, 1 ring-necked duck.

Dec 10, 2023 - 5 loons, buffleheads, mallards, mergansers, Canada geese, & 1 long-tailed duck.

Dec 2, 2023 - At least 3 loons.

Nov 29, 2023 - 2 loons, 2 mergansers, & a small muskrat swimming with green foliage in its mouth.

Nov 21, 2023 - Saw a muskrat, 2 loons, 12 buffleheads, & a rare red-necked phalarope.

Nov 16, 2023 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Warmish temps 45-55F, low wind predicted - it's only going to get colder so got out for what will probably my last paddle of the year. The SE wind was a bit stronger than predicted so it was somewhat bouncy out between the islands. Light moboat traffic - only 1 got within a half mile of me. No other paddlers. Saw 8 loons in the first half hour. Mergansers on the sunny side of Diamond Island. Lunch stop at the N end of Long Island. 12 miles, 4.6 hours.

Oct 25, 2023 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Temp mid-50s to mid-60s; water temp 54-61*F. Wind 5-10 mph, NE in the am, SE in the pm. Light motorboat activity. Quite a few loons. 8 miles, 3.2 hours.

                           2 loons:

Oct 3, 2023 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Forecast for 0-4mph winds from the SE. Calm at first, got a bit more wind than expected ~10-11am E of Diamond Island, but calmed down again after noon. Temp 60-80F (too hot!), cloudless but a bit hazy. Took a break at the N end of Long Island, circumnavigated the island. Moderate boat traffic. Loons, cormorants, gulls, gb heron, bald eagle. A floatplane landed and then soon took off. Fall foliage 20% down low, 50 % up high, mostly maples. Water temp 63F. 12 miles, 4.9 hours.

Sep 28, 2023 - Light winds were forecasted so I decided to kayak LAKE GEORGE & poke up into DUNHAM'S BAY MARSH expecting some good color from the swamp maples. The wind did pick up for a short period & made things somewhat bouncy. Very calm & serene in the marsh & once you get past the marina there is minimal sight of civilization (now within state land, or should I say state wetland) - just a little noise from light traffic on Bay Rd to the W. The creek (no current) winds thru dying pickerelweed & lilypads, then some weeds. Lovely view of Pilot Knob Ridge on the way back & I could see Cat & Thomas Mtns in the distance. The open water E of Diamond Island was unusually calm in the early pm, except when the occasional moboat went by. Mallards, herons, loons, mergansers, hawk. Temp rising thru the 50s & 60s, just some cirrus clouds. Colors just starting to change on the hills. 5 hours.

Aug 14 (Mon) - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Started at 7:30 am. Not too many moboats for the 1st couple of hours but activity really picked up after 9:30 am & the water was quite bouncy for the last hour. Osprey, cormorants, gulls, mallards but unfortunately no loons. Low winds. 8 miles, 3.4 hours.

July 19, 2023 - a bit less humid, smoky, & hot today - temp rising into the mid-70s. I love the water, the islands, and the mountain views but...

April 4, 2023 - Saw 3 loons - heard some hoots & got one good yodel.

Mar 29, 2023 - Ice out.

Feb 10 - A lone hooded merganser.

Feb 4 - After the temp dropped to minus 22*, the lake finally froze over!

Feb 3, 2023 - still no ice on the lake but temp is going down to the minuses. Saw hooded mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneyes.

 

Dec 28 - Redheads, goldeneyes, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, mallards.

Dec 26 - Goldeneyes, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, common mergansers, surf scoter, gulls.

Dec 2 - 9 goldeneyes (5 males), 1 male bufflehead, no loons.

Nov 24 Thanksgiving - Saw 2 loons, & a merganser hanging out with 3 goldeneyes.

Nov 1, 2022 (Tue) - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Warm (rising thru the 60s) & wind direction & speed (S-SW 5 mph) looking good for today. Went by Diamond (public, day use), Dicks, Speaker Heck (public, day use), Long (public, camping), & Canoe (private) Islands. Wanted to stop for a break on S Heck but someone was using a leaf blower (I just don't like those things!) on nearby Assembly Point so I stopped on the W side of Long. Good day for waterfowl - lots of loons, gulls, C geese, cormorants, mallards, a female white-winged scoter, a pair of white geese, & possibly buffleheads & goldeneyes (just a bit too far from me). Very light mobo activity - maybe 2 or 3 per hour & mostly far away from me. Water temp 55°F. 9.7 miles, 4 hours. More warm weather is on the way.

  

Sept 12, 2022 (Mon) - LONG ISLAND circumnavigation. Forecast 0-4 mph SE winds + weekday + fair weather, temp mid-60s to mid-70s altho a bit humid. Stopped at the N end of LI for lunch - the camping season ended the day before. Views of Cat, Tongue, Shelving Rock, Buck, & Pilot Knob Mtns. Took a short break on Diamond Island to check out the 10-foot-high Peace Obelisk, made of stone from nearby Prospect Mountain, listing some of the many military expeditions which passed Diamond Island, including the Battle of Diamond Island - installed at the north end of the island by Edward H. Shepard and Spencer and Katrina Trask. Also went past Big Canoe, Speaker Heck, & Dicks Islands. Gulls, cormorants, loons, mallards. Light to moderate moboat activity - there were periods of relative quiet. 12 miles, 5.1 hours.

 

July 27, 2022 (Wed) - The ISLANDS, from Huletts Park (Washington County, open 8 am - 8 pm thru Labor Day), Huletts Landing.  The forecast called for 3-6 mph winds from the SE changing to SW - got 6-9 mph winds from the S - wind waves up to 1', boat wakes up to 2'.  Out of Sunset Bay, past Narrow Island HQ, & SW past more islands.  Then some open water, a gb heron perched on a low branch on shore, until we reached the Mother Bunch Islands group.  Calm water on the lee side of the islands, able to enjoy looking into the clear blue-green water.  Black Mtn rises up 2,300' above the water to the SE & the Tongue Mtn Range dominates to the W.  Lunch stop at an empty campsite on Floating Battery Island.  Paddled in & out of the islands, spotted a turtle's head pop out of the water.  Observed 2 adult loons with a growing chick being fed.  Headed N over bouncy open water to the Harbor Islands, thru the Needle's Eye.  Views to cliffs on Brown Mtn & N to Deer Leap.  Around the W side of Vicar's Island then across bouncy open water to the start.  A moderate amount of motorboat & PWC traffic - it's what you have to put up with to enjoy the sights.  8. 3 miles, 4.2 hours.  Warm water swim at the beach before heading home.

    

May 18 (Wed) - A bit further than last time.  Forecast for 9mph winds from NNW becoming 5mph from the NW in the afternoon - got some gusts from the NE.  Very light moboat activity in the am (~3 boats per hour) - more after noon.  Temp 55-65°F.  7+ miles, 3.3 hours.

    

May 14, 2022 - Village to Hearthstone to Cooper Point to Still Bay.  Started out at 7am on a Saturday hoping for a fairly quiet paddle.  Light moboat traffic early, picked up noticeably after 9am.  Saw mallard ducklings, Canada goslings, sandpiper, & a lot of other birds. Temp 65-70°F, 85 later in the day; water temp ~50F.  6 miles, 3 hours.

Nov 8, 2021 -  Started out from the beach at Shepard Park & paddled up the W shore.  A few moboats out but they seem to prefer the E side.  Temp rising thru the 50's, light breeze, not a cloud in the sky.  From Orcutt Bay, headed over & around Canoe Islands, then across to & around Diamond Island.  Back to W shore at Hearthstone Point.  Saw & heard quite a few loons, most were solo.  Some peaceful interludes, some noisy (boy, do I despise leaf blowers!).  ~10 miles, 3.8 hours.

     

Sep 9 - Diamond Island from Hearthstone Point.  Hardly anyone camping at HP & deserted beach.

Friday Aug 27, 2021 - NORTHWEST BAY BROOK from DEC cartop boat launch off Rt.9N.  The 3 days before were unbearable with 85-90F temp + 70-75F dewpoint, today that dropped to 80F + 60F - much better.  0.3 miles downstream then L on backwater which soon became covered with lilypads,  Pushed up L& R arm for a bit, then heard a noise, turned around to see a Jetski - intimidated by my presence, he quickly headed back out to the lake.  I continued ~1 mile on the brook thru a wide wetland, LGLC's Loines Preserve to the west, to NW Bay where I poked around for a time then took a break for lunch.  It was just 50' to the trail which I walked for a short distance but, wearing wet watershoes & attracting some mosquitoes, soon returned to the lunchspot at the brook's mouth.  2 pontoon boats.  2 canoes, 6 kayaks.  Watersnake, gb herons, kingfisher, dragonflies, a few stable flies ("ankle-biters"), hawk.  Some road noise.  3.2 hours.

Aug 5, 2021 - LAKE GEORGE & DUNHAM BAY MARSH from state boat launch next to Million $ Beach.  The pros: saw 2 loons in the 1st 10 minutes, the views, clear water on the lake, nobody on the marsh & great wildlife (lots of gb herons, osprey, tiny turtles, swallows, ducks, other small birds, need to ID the sandpiper), I have a thing for the tour boats esp the MinneHaHa & their wakes are not big, the marsh was fairly peaceful.  The cons: motors & their 1-foot+ wakes (worst were the parasail boats, when I started paddling over 40 years ago the moboats would generally slow down for you but that does not happen any more), bouncy paddling on the lake, no place to stop (lake shore is private, marsh is state wetland but nowhere to get out, my butt was sore all the way back!).  13 miles, 5 hours.  You can pay Dunham's Bay Marina $10 to park S of the Rt 9L bridge & put in at their boat launch, or there are spots to park on the roads & you can put in at the bridge but it's a bit steep & not easy. 

   

June 23 - From Shepard Park (workmen were putting up ropes around the swim area) along the W shore to Orcutt Bay.  Forecast for NW winds up to 6mph but got NE!  Boat wakes up to 1', got busier ~11am.  Gypsy moth infestation very evident in the hills to the W - eating up leaves on the hardwoods.  A loon popped up in front of me on way back.  7.5 miles, 3 hours.                                                                    Now they have a locked fence around the beach!

 

June 17 - DIAMOND ISLAND from Shepard Park beach.  Forecast winds NW up to 8mph, actually from the SE for the 1st couple of hours then turned to NW on way back.  Light to moderate mobo activity, wakes up to 1'.  Diamond is a state island for picnicking, has several picnic tables & grills.  Also poked into the harbor behind Cooper Point.  Gulls & cormorants on Dicks Island; families of mallards, mergansers (14 chicks, 1 adult), & C geese.  6 miles, 2.7 hours.

June 10, 2021 - Set off from Shepard Park Beach & crossed to E side, waves <1' with NNE wind up to 10mph (forecast was for 7-9mph winds).  Paddled near the E shore going N past statue of liberty & Wiawaka (where artist Georgia O'Keeffe spent some time).  Long fetch, winds picking up to 15mph, & waves >1' so turned around.  Did not want to cross over so took out at the state boat launch.  Very light boat traffic.  3.2 miles, 1.5 hours.

June 7 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking, from Shepard Park beach.  Trying to beat the heat & motors, so on the water at 6:20am on a Monday (best to stay away on weekends & holidays).  Stayed close to the W shore, passed Hearthstone Point State Campground, stopped by Canoe Island (private) for a short break in its shade & returned.  Saw gaggles of C geese, loons, mergansers, 7 turkey vultures on land spreading their wings imitating cormorants;  2 SUPs, 8 kayaks, 1 PWC, ~20 motorboats (mostly a good distance away, wakes up to 1').  Lots of development, some interesting mansions, mountain views.  Temp rising thru the 70s, should hit 90F later, water still cool.  ~9 miles, 3.6 hours 

June 9, 2014 -  I decided to head to nearby Rogers Rock State Campground on the northern part of Lake George. There were very few campers staying there on a Sunday night and I was able to secure a choice campsite next to the swimming beach. The evening’s entertainment included enjoying the lake view, watching a loon, and photographing a five-foot-long rat snake slither its way along the back edge of the beach. The morning started out cloudy with a not-too-friendly south wind, but after breakfast, the wind died down, and the sun presented itself. It seemed like the theme of the trip was going to be cliff observation, so I paddled north from the campground and was soon admiring the jagged cliffs that the campground was named after. The lake’s clear emerald-colored water was also topped with much yellow tree pollen. Thankfully, motorboat traffic was very light. Leaving Cooks Bay, I passed diminutive Juniper Island and was soon at the foot of Rogers Slide, an impressive smooth rock cliff with streaks of grey, pink, and mauve. Turning back, the view southward included the rocky 

Anthony’s Nose, as well as Elephant and Black Mountains.

Oct 3, 2010 - BCU FOUNDATION SAFETY & RESCUE TRAINING.  Lake George, Bolton Landing, Veteran's Park beach.  Water temp 66F - air about 10 degrees less - by afternoon the NE 15-20mph (twice what was predicted) wind made things a bit interesting.

Nov 8, 2009 - LAKE GEORGE from Veterans Memorial Park & Beach in Bolton Landing.  Paddled across to the Narrows, in & around islands, Red Rock Bay, Paradise Bay & back.  Poked into a small cave obscured by low cedar branches.  Fairly calm & warm; SSW wind picked up a bit for crossing from Montcalm Point back to take-out creating waves over 1'.  Very clear water, excellent scenery with mountains E & W.  More motorboats here than last couple of weeks on the Hudson - sunny skies & temp ~60F might have something to do with it.  4+ hours.

You ever wonder why a breeze off the lake feels nice and cool?

Well this is because the during the summer the lake absorbs the same amount of solar energy as the land, but the land re-radiates energy into the atmosphere, while the lake does not. Therefore, air over land is warmer than that over the water. But this also leads to the winds/lake breezes!

As the land becomes warmer than the water, the warm air over land rises, and gets replaced by the relatively cool air which resides immediately above the lake surface.  Lake breezes generally form several hours after sunrise, and have speeds of around10 mph. Lake breezes generally dissipate in the early evening as the sun begins to set.  The spring and summer are the most common times of year for lake breezes.

And this is why, during the spring and summer, there are no winds early in the morning and then around 9-10 am a slight breeze starts to blow and it increases into a decent gust by mid-afternoon, but then towards evening/nightfall the winds begin to calm once again and the lake becomes a lot less wavy!

Oct 3/4, 2004 - LAKE GEORGE kayak camping. Put-in at Washington County Beach in Hulett's Landing more than halfway up the lake's E shore - not sure if this would be a viable put-in in summer (it's a swimming beach; gate open 10am-8pm) - but at this time the gate is open 24 hrs. 3 miles to campsite on Sagamore Island - ranger came around as we were approaching & issued us a 1 night permit for $19.75. S of Hulett's Landing, shores are state land for about 6 miles & there are many islands, Lake George is about 1 mile wide, Tongue Mtn Range rises steeply on the W & Black & other mtns. rise on the E - quite scenic. Water is a very clear green. Paddled to W shore to foot of cliffs of Deer Leap then back to E shore & N as far as Mallory Island with stop On O'Dell Island for lunch - 15 miles, 6 hrs. Much shoreline to the N of Hulett's is private except for a 2 mile strip on the E shore. Too many motorboats Sunday. Fall foliage better high up the mountains; mostly green at lake level. Less motors Monday but still a fair amount of traffic. Very windy (S then SW) with whitecaps on certain sections of the lake - islands help block the wind. Water still not too cold for a swim. Note: winds were always greater than predicted - winds seem to funnel thru the Narrows area - rec kayaks/canoes should only venture out on the calmest of days - inexperienced/unskilled (there are many paddlers who have paddled for yearsyet still don't know how to paddle efficiently or in less-than-perfect conditions) paddlers should get their experience on smaller lakes. Dagger Sitka , a 17'10" composite kayak - able to get gear, 1.5 bags of firewood & extra beverages in it, tracked real well with all that weight.

Oct 28, 2003 - LAKE GEORGE kayaking. Lake George Beach (S end of lake) launch, Long Island (3 mile walk, many campsites too close together), Dunham Bay (& up the inlet about a mile). Too much development for me - lots of hammering going on. Still some good fall foliage due to lake's low elevation. Nice view up the lake to Tongue Mt Range, Buck & Pilot Knob Mtns. Water so clear. 12 miles, 4.5 hrs.

Article: Paddling Lake George South.

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