Shelving Rock Falls is a 50 foot waterfall nestled in a ravine about a half mile from Log Bay on Lake George, New York. There is a way to drive, park, and hike to Shelving Rock Falls but the following is a description of how to get there by boat. Drive your boat to Log Bay and anchor near the southeast corner of the bay. Some boating maps may call this bay “Shelving Rock Bay” but I have always known it as “Log Bay”. Unless you have a really small boat, you will need to anchor and swim to shore. This route does not offer any water or restrooms. Cell phone service can be weak on this part of the lake.
The water in Log Bay becomes really shallow really quick so larger boats need to anchor farther from shore than do smaller boats. Either way, a short swim should get you to shore. Plan to carry shoes and any other accessories you may want with you on the hike.
After anchoring and swimming to shore, a trail leading to Shelving Rock Falls should be about 50 feet from the shoreline.
The following is a view of the lake from the shoreline.
The trail is not very rugged and easy enough to manage with flip flops. From the shoreline, it is about a 0.5 mile hike to the waterfall with a very small climb in elevation.
Shelving Rock Falls is a 50 foot waterfall with accessible pools for swimming. The water can be bitterly cold and the rocks can very slippery so extreme caution should be exercised in and around the waterfall.
The following video is a look from the top of the waterfall.
The subsequent video was taken from the base of the waterfall.
In sum, Shelving Rock Falls is a quick, fun adventure via boat but safety should be top of mind while at the waterfall. Black Mountain hiking trail is also accessible by boat and includes docks but I have not blogged about that yet. Other Lake George hikes include:
- Buck Mountain
- Inman Pond
- Pilot Knob Mountain
- Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve
Two Knobby Tires 
Great hike report – think this is the first one I've read where you have to swim to the trailhead.
Thanks for the comment. It is a hack-a-hike 😉 because there is not an official trailhead on the shoreline (or docks) but it certainly makes for a fun adventure.
I'd like to try something like this in Florida – but not sure how long I'd last in alligator infested waters. 🙂