Amy’s Park is located off of Padanarum Road in Bolton Landing, New York and about 30 minutes north of Lake George Village. The primary outdoor recreation was hiking and dog walking. Hunting and fishing were allowed with a permit but camping and motorized vehicles were not. Parking was free but water and restrooms were not available. I had zero cell phone service while in the park and for the last part of our drive to it.
In July 2013, we hiked the 1.5 mile Orange trail first. It had a range in elevation of about 80 feet.
It was wide, smooth, well shaded, and very quiet.
We visited after a week of above average rainfall so there were several muddy areas with large puddles.
There were several stream crossings and log bridges.
The latter half of this trail was a loop. It was well identified by bright circle markers, directional signs, and cairns.
We saw a red-spotted newt crossing the trail. We also saw one when we hiked at Berry Pond two years ago.
The featured scenic viewing area was limited by trees, but nonetheless, we appreciated and enjoyed the peaceful environment.
We hiked the loop counter-clockwise but recommend hiking clockwise, as we had to traverse down the step ladder in the picture below. In addition, a few sections of the loop were rocky and young kids may need help managing them.
On our return to the trail head we saw a yellow and black millipede.
Out and back, the Yellow trail was a mile long and had a range in elevation of less than 40 feet. It was similar to the Orange trail in that it was smooth and gently sloping but different in that it was narrower.
It also had stream crossings, log bridges, and muddy areas (due to the above average rainfall).
A toad can be seen below. We saw a lot of them at Inman Pond a few years ago at around the same time of year.
The trail ended at the water’s edge and offered a 270 degree panoramic view of a beaver pond and marsh.
If you only have time to hike one trail or your group includes young kids, we recommend the Yellow trail because the view was awesome, and the distance and terrain were a little easier to manage. In addition, there was plenty of space to relax, set up a picnic, and let the kids run around.
The croaking of frogs and/or toads, along with the rushing of an out of sight water fall, provided a pleasant chorus for the peaceful view.
In July 2014, we returned to Amy’s Park to hike the recently created Red trail. We parked on the east side of Trout Falls Road near signs for the trail.
We hiked 0.65 miles and climbed almost 400 feet to reach the scenic lookout at the end of the trail.
We crossed over to the west of side of the road and found the starting point clearly marked. The first 500 feet was mostly flat.
After a 120 degree left turn, the slope steepened significantly and was consistently moderate for the duration of the ascent. There were a few level sections that provided some relief.
Our three and a half year old, who had a lot fun on this hike, noticed this Wood frog perched on the side of a tree.
The trail was well-shaded, narrow, and rocky throughout. I held the hand of our three and a half year old the entire way because the moss covered rocks were too slippery for him to manage by himself.
About two-thirds the way up, there was an intersection with the Yellow trail that was marked with a caution sign that dissuaded us from exploring it with our two little kids in tow. The trail was easy to follow with red circle markers every few yards. Near the end, we followed signs labeled the “Ledge” and “View” to reach the lookout area. Close to the lookout, we saw some deer scat and then the following red millipede climbing a large boulder.
The view from the lookout area featured Lake George’s Northwest Bay.
In addition, it included a view of the park’s marshes.
The lookout ledge provided plenty of space to relax and enjoy the scenery because it was wide and flat. The video below highlights the beautiful landscape.
We witnessed numerous red spotted newts crossing the trail, most of which we saw near the trailhead.
In sum, on two occasions we’ve had fun exploring Amy’s Park and found it to have a remote and quiet feel despite its close proximity to Lake George Village. A hike of greater difficulty with a view of the lake is Pilot Knob Preserve.
Two Knobby Tires 