Prospect Mountain Hiking Trail

Category: Hiking area

Address: 75 Smith St, Lake George, NY 12845, USA

Opening hours

Sunday: Open 24 hours

Monday: Open 24 hours

Tuesday: Open 24 hours

Wednesday: Open 24 hours

Thursday: Open 24 hours

Friday: Open 24 hours

Saturday: Open 24 hours

Reviews

kuldeep kumar

Jun 11, 2022

Good intermediate trail. 2.5 mile hike to the summit if you start at the trail head. Alternatively you could start midway or drive to the top if you don't want the hike. The hike itself has some relatively steep rocky sections. The view of lake George from the summit is worth the hike. You park at the trail head. It's all road side parking with no dedicated parking lot. So can get filled pretty quickly. I would avoid this hike on long holiday weekends as the parking can become an issue. Once you park at the trail head, you go up a set of stairs to a overhead walkway that crosses I-87. The actual trail starts at the end of the walkway on the other end past I-87.

Patrick Carney

Apr 14, 2022

A great, challenging day hike. You start off on the footbridge over the Northway, quite a thrill. From there it's straight up, but there's enough neat features and scenery on the way up to make it more than just a trudge up to the summit. Summit view over lake George and the whole summit area is very nice and welcoming after the trek up. Great food and drink once you're back down and in town.

Riggsy

Aug 16, 2021

Difficult hike for non regular hikers but gorgeous views from the top. Many people quit and commented how they go to the gym 5 days a week and couldn't do it.

Kristian Singh-Nergård

Apr 22, 2021

It's a challenging hike, but no viewpoints until you reach the top. There is no parking lot where the trail starts, so cars are parked everywhere on the side of the road. I'd suggest getting here early because there's limited parking space. Then you cross the highway on a bridge (or is it a birdcage?) After that it's a hard hike. It's very steep. If you're not an experienced hiker I'd suggest to take it slow, find your own tempo, and ignore the mountain goats (experienced hikers) who will pass you. You can actually drive all the way up during the summer, and there's a parking lot close to the top. It's too bad because even though the view is spectacular, the road and the parking lot get into most of your photos. Some viewpoints should be a reward for a long hike, not something you can drive to. That makes this hike lose some of its charm. All in all, it's a good hike, but the view on top wasn't the reward we hoped for.

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Questions & Answers

Is it okay to drive to the summit? How much do they charge?

Yafang Chen | Oct 10, 2020
Mya Buckler | Oct 11, 2020

Last time we went up they were not charging be cause they were doing some work up there. You can drive most of the way up, just not to the tippy top. There are lots of pull offs and great places to see the amazing view of the lake.

How many miles is the red trail?

Michael Townsend | Jul 8, 2019
Anthony Sourdiff | Jul 9, 2019

I'm not sure how many miles it is I only went as far as crossing the bridge that goes over the interstate

Is there a trail map available?

Judy Keith | Nov 9, 2020
Prisca Benson | Nov 10, 2020

Not that I know of. The trail is identified by marks on the trees. It's a real climb so it's not something to take lightly. You can drive up to the top. Just enter the summit into your gps.

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How many miles is the trail?

Ken Spears | Jul 8, 2019
Susan Johnson | Jul 9, 2019

Prospect is close to 4 miles I believe. You can research Cody's Climb which is a hike up Prospect for suicide awareness. I'm sure there are details on the trail. I'm out of shape and I made it.

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Are dogs allowed at this trail? I've seen postings stating that yes they are allowed, and then actual signage stating they aren't allowed. Would like some clarification. TIA

lidia esposito | Jul 8, 2019
Michael Heller | Jul 9, 2019

Leashed pets are allowed on the forest preserve lands of the LG wild forest. Parks and Recreation, who has responsibility for maintaining the visitor area on the summit has different rules for that area. This may be where the confusion lies. On state lands including the trail follow DEC regs, at the summit interpretive area follow the rules posted.

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