Lake George, often referred to as the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic Lake located in the Adirondack Park of New York. The lake is 32.2 miles long on a north-south axis, and varies from one to three miles in width. While the average lake depth is around 50 feet there are parts of the lake that reach a depth of over 200 feet. Lake George typically freezes in the winter with ice thicknesses that can exceed 25 inches. The lake is dotted with hundreds of islands, some of which are privately owned while others are used for day picnics and camping.
The lake was originally named the Andia-ta-roc-te by local Native Americans. In 1646, the French Canadian Jesuit Missionary Isaac Jogues, the first European to view the lake, renamed it Lac du Saint-Sacrement (Lake of the Holy Sacrament), and its exit stream, La Chute.
On August 28, 1755, William Johnson who led British colonial forces to occupy the area during the French and Indian War renamed the lake as Lake George for King George II. On September 8, 1755 the Battle of Lake George was fought between the forces of Britain and France resulting in a strategic victory for the British and their Iroquois allies. After that battle, Johnson ordered the construction of a military fortification at the southern end of the lake. The fort was named Fort William Henry after the King’s grandson Prince William Henry, a younger brother of the later King George III. In September, the French responded by beginning construction of Fort Ticonderoga on a point where La Chute enters Lake Champlain.
On May 31, 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to his daughter, “Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin… finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves… down to the water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony.”
32 Miles of Smiles
Families have been visiting the Lake George area for decades creating a lifetime of memories. Lake George is indeed a special lake and each mile traveled of the 32 mile lake from the Village of Lake George up to the northern end in Ticonderoga becomes more beautiful and breathtaking and is always guaranteed to put a smile on your face, hence our Trademarked tagline 32 Miles of Smiles.