Lake George, New York

There are 479,950 lakes in the lower 48 states, but only one is known as ‘The Queen of American Lakes’. That would be Lake George, located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley and drains all the way northward into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River drainage basin. Lake George extends about 32.2 mi (51.8 km), is 187 ft (57 m) deep, and ranges from one to three miles (1.6 to 4.8 km) in width. It is situated between the valleys of the Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers, on the route between Albany, New York, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

A meeting for Paulie’s Push, to be held in the greater Albany area, is how I chose Lake George, NY as the first Adirondack Mountains destination for my EV road trips - and my first out-of-town campsite for Red Rocket. Lake George is just under an hour away, the closest Adirondack town to Albany, so it seemed like a good starting point.

Lake George has a year-round population of under 1,000 residents, but during the summer months it swells to as high as 50,000. In 1791 President Thomas Jefferson is said to have visited the lake and described it as “without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw.” That may be part of the reason behind the Queen nickname - the actual reason appears to be unknown. The lake is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, which are reportedly among the cleanest in the United States, due to its mountain-fed springs, protected forests, and limited exposure to pollutants. In 2004 it was recognized by Travel + Leisure Magazine as having “the cleanest water in the United States.”