Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve - Lake George Adirondack Nature Hike

Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve Trail Map and Parking

The Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve is located on Pilot Knob Road in Lake George, New York. The trail is ideal for hiking and hiking with dogs but not recommended for small children because there are steep, challenging parts of the trails. There is ample free small parking and parking on the roadway or on neighboring property is prohibited. There are no restrooms or water located anywhere on the trail. Motorized or non-motorized recreational vehicles are not allowed in the preserve. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times and there are no dog waste bags provided. There is cell phone service at the trail head and throughout the trails. At the trail head, there is a book you can sign to document your hiking date/time, how many people in your hiking group, where you are from, and your comments about the hike. In addition, there are free pamphlets that provide a brief history and general information about the preserve.

Orange Trail

The orange trail starts at the trail head, is 1.2 miles long round trip, and ascends 600 ft from 400 ft to 1000 ft. Although a short trail, it has a few long stretches of steep incline (can be seen in following picture), which makes the first half of the trail challenging. The trail has a lot of small to medium sized rocks and tree roots, which can be slippery after a recent rainfall. The trail sits beneath deep forest canopy and, therefore, it is a good option for hot summer days. If you decide to only complete the orange trail it is a challenging but short hike that provides wonderful views of Lake George without having to hike too far up.
The orange trail can be tiring but it does not take very long and, thus, you can easily get to the top in twenty minutes. The hike down is not difficult but you should be sure to watch your footing. The picture below shows the last section of the orange trail before you reach the top and includes the degree of incline and size of rocks on the trail.
As seen on the picture below, on the side of the trail there is Interrupted fern and Christmas fern. Some other plant life in the preserve includes red oak, striped maple, and white birch. The most common wildlife seen can be the gray squirrel, eastern chipmunk, and Fowler’s toad. Other examples of wildlife but are less commonly seen in the preserve include moose, coyote, wild turkey, and great horned owl.

Gazebo

At the top of the orange trail, a gazebo has been built on land that was formerly the site of an illegally built house. The house has since been confiscated by the authorities, torn down, and converted into a scenic viewing area. The illegally built driveway still exists and forms the southern half of the orange trail loop. The gazebo sits on flat ground with very high grass and is ideal for having a picnic using a lightweight backpack. From the gazebo, you can either turn around to complete the orange trail or continue on to the blue trail, which leads you to a small waterfall. In addition, there are two options for hiking down from the gazebo: you can either go down the way you came up or return on the old illegal driveway. The old driveway is mostly paved and steep but allows you to avoid hiking down on the rocks and tree roots. Further, it connects to the original trail towards the end so you will still finish at the trail head.
From the gazebo, there are great views of Lake George including the south end of the lake (see picture below) and all the way to the narrows (see picture above).

Blue Trail

The blue trail is a 1.3-mile loop that is an extension of the orange trail. It goes deeper into the mountain and leads to a small waterfall. It is much flatter and less difficult than the orange trail. The majority of the trail is flat and less rocky but there are a few short stretches of incline. At one point in the trail you can either continue straight or go left on the trail, it is just a loop so either way takes you to the same place. I would recommend going straight because it leads to the bottom of the waterfall and continues up and around to the top of the waterfall. If you go left, you reach the top of the waterfall first. The trail is a little buggy unlike the orange trail so bug spray is recommended. There are no views of the lake on this trail . After you have completed the loop, the trail brings you back to the gazebo area where you take the orange trail back to the trail head.
The waterfall is very small with weak water flow. I hiked this part of the trail in July and August so it is possible that the waterfall is more impressive in the spring when runoff from the snow is in full effect.
In sum, this is a fun, short hike that offers great views of Lake George. The gazebo area is ideal for picnics but the waterfall is not very exciting.