Shelving Rock Area of the Lake George Wild Forest — Attraction in Town of Fort Ann

Please read full review for cautionary note below.

We visited Shelving Rock in October 2020. We found the Shelving Rock Mountain Trail to be very pleasant and medium difficulty for our 5 year old. The hike is totally worth it especially during the fall season. (Cautionary note about the drive below) Because of the location on the mountain, when the wind picked up we would showered by the fall leaves. It was short lived but magical. I let my family go ahead just so I could stay and wait for the wind to bring the leaves down again. Of course, to see something like this visitors would need to ago around the peak time when leaves are changing color.

CAUTION: Most of Shelving Rock road leading up to the parking lots is unpaved, country/hilly road. It was challenging for us in our front wheel drive sedan on most portions of the road. The road was very bumpy throughout. Some sections of the road are also sharply inclined which novice drivers may find challenging. Be prepared to switch to manual and drive in low gear. Many sections of the road are narrow with sharp drop offs. A 4x4 or AWD with high road clearance would be a better option for these roads. Also, I would not visit Shelving rock on rainy/stormy days. I imagine many of the roads are very flooded. I definitely would not visit in the winter with snow and ice on the road. Even in a 4x4 the roads would be incredibly challenging in a rain storm and downright treacherous in the winter. And while there are park rangers relatively close by, cell service is poor and getting assistance during challenging weather would...

The Shelving Rock Area is part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve within the Lake George Wild Forest. As part of the Adirondack State Park, it is administered by New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation. There are 12 designated camp sites in areas around Shelving Rock Road and Dacy Clearing Road, but camping is allowed anywhere that is at least 500 feet from Shelving Rock and Dacy Clearing Roads and is not along a waterway or trail. The area includes level hiking trails to a waterfall and along the Lake George waterfront, and an easy climb up Shelving Rock Mountain. Most of the trails are actually old carriage roads, wide and level for horse-drawn wagons, so the area is a good choice to introduce young children to hiking. In the summer, you can cool off in the waterfall or at Log Bay, but there are no sandy beaches. The deciduous trees provide a great show during foliage season. There are seven parking lots along Shelving Rock Road,so if the first one is full, just keep driving to the next. There is no fee...

Let's see. First I drove for miles on a winding dirt road. With hardly any internet service.I get to the #1 parking lot that's full. Go to the 2nd and they have signs all over DO NOT PARK. The 3rd one is empty. Mind you they only holds about 20 cars. No clear signs from the parking lot as to were to go. Unless by chance when you were going over the bridge you saw a sign for the falls. No internet to get you to the falls! You are in the middle of the woods...so bring bug spray. You start to walk to the path and there is a tree covering. Making you think this must be the wrong way? After all that and a half hour drive back to civilization I was done!!! I love the outdoor but don't say it's an easy hike...