Climbing Lake George

An abundance of ascents around the Queen of American Lakes

By Alan Wechsler

There aren’t many rock-climbing areas on the East Coast where one needs a canoe to approach a cliff. On a cool, June weekday, Cyrus Ferri and I paddled our rented canoe for 20 minutes along the north end of Lake George to the huge slab known as Rogers Slide. 

We stashed the boat, traversed along the rugged shoreline, flaked our ropes and started climbing one of the most unique routes in the Adirondacks. 

Such is the dichotomy of Lake George. It’s famous for its raucous tourist village, its million-dollar beach, its pristine waters and the sublime scenery that prompted Thomas Jefferson to call it the Queen of American Lakes.

Thousands of climbers drive right past the region to the popular climbs in Keene Valley and its vertical surrounds. Those who don’t stop here are missing out.

‘A lifetime’s worth’ of routes

Rogers Slide is just one spot. On the east shore, hundreds of routes are available at Shelving Rock and Ark Wall, located just off the water but accessed from a dirt road north of West Fort Ann. 

Further north, there’s the rugged cliffs of Sleeping Beauty, a popular hiking destination but one seldom visited by climbers. Buck Mountain and Pilot Knob also have routes. And one can bushwhack to cliffs at Tongue Mountain, where rattlesnakes may present as great a danger as gravity.

Glens Falls climber Craig Vollkommer, a 48-year-old contractor who has developed many new routes in the area, calls the climbing possibilities “a lifetime’s worth.”

Rock climbing in the Adirondack Park has a history that dates to the 1930s (or even longer, if one counts the 1850 ascent of the rugged Trap Dike on Mount Colden). Climbing at Lake George is a more recent activity. In 1976, Tom Rosecrans’ “Adirondack Rock and Ice Climbs” included Rogers Slide, known as Little Finger, the first Lake George route to be mentioned.

Gaining traction

Even in the 1990s and early 2000s, there was little information about other climbing areas around the lake. Some areas, such as the cliffs at Shelving Rock, had never been touched.

Rosecrans said he wandered to Shelving Rock years ago from the frozen lake, looking for ice climbs. (You could do that back when we had what locals call “real winters.”)

“It was a bunch of garbage, loose rock, nothing was appealing,” recalled Rosecrans, 74, owner of the Queensbury climbing gym Rocksport. 

Around 2007, Vollkommer and other climbers visited it during warmer weather and saw something different. “My mind was blown,” he recalled. “How come no one’s been developing this?”

He, his wife Jessica Donovan and others began removing debris and loose rock and adding drilled bolts for lead climbers. Some of the best climbs in the southern Adirondacks emerged.

“I have a number of first ascents. Who gets those anymore?” said Vollkommer, who estimates he put up about 150 routes in that area.

Despite its convoluted road access, Shelving Rock doesn’t feel remote. There’s ample cell service, thanks to Bolton Landing being only a few miles across the lake. You can often hear the “chop-chop-chop” of power boats. If you turn around, you will see an expansive view of the lake that will make you want to take your time lowering off.

Best of all, when you’re hot and sweaty and ready for a swim, perhaps the clearest water in the Adirondacks awaits.

Charting an ascent

Weekend parking can be a challenge, as climbers vie with hikers, picnickers and swimmers. Peregrine falcon nestings also shuts down parts of the cliff each spring.

The Main Wall is reached by a 20-minute approach on a herd path that culminates in a climb up a loose talus pile. There are dozens of climbs of various difficulties some too tough for moderate climbers. Thanks to excellent protection, even some of the harder routes are accessible to somewhat wimpy climbers such as me. 

Beware of dangers. The rock is sometimes blocky (having protruding parts), so if a leader falls on a lower-angle route, they could wind up hitting something below before the rope catches them. Beginners might try nearby Ark Wall. Here are 10 well-protected routes, each only a few feet from the next, making it easy to climb multiple routes in a short time. Although some of the rock angles the wrong way, making for awkward holds, the climbing gets better as you go higher.

Possibly the best is a route, Two Lefts Don’t Make It Right, with an exposed and overhanging crux that requires some figuring atop the yawning abyss. 

At the top of the access road to Shelving Rock is the hiking trail to Sleeping Beauty. It leads to several tiers of cliffs. Those who make the easy hike will likely have the climbing to themselves. 

Buck Mountain is home to several dozen routes in various areas, but the climbs are mostly short, and some are hard to find. Rosecrans says he uses the area mainly to train budding rock leaders on rope technique.

Rocks and rattlesnakes

Across the lake, Tongue Mountain offers more challenges. Distance is the biggest: Most climbers won’t want to bushwhack for an hour. Then there’s the large population of rattlesnakes to consider. Rosecrans says he won’t go back, after nearly treading on a coiled rattler while walking around the cliff. 

Vollkommer says the solution is to avoid “snake season,” and go in the cooler weather when the cold-blooded reptiles are inactive. 

Those who make the effort will find several dozen routes, many with snake-themed names. The guidebook “Adirondack Rock” describes it as “one of the best cliffs in the Lake George region” with sunny exposure and abundant crack climbing on excellent rock. Just watch that underbrush!

The Tongue peninsula is home to several other obscure cliffs. The 400-foot cliff known as Deer Leap is described as possibly “the largest choss (loose rock) pile in the Adirondacks.” 

Untapped potential

Vollkommer says there are plenty of other untapped areas. For instance, he’s got his eye on a cliff near Black Mountain that can only be reached by boat. Then there’s Rogers Slide, named for French and Indian War legend Robert Rogers, who supposedly used the slide after the French massacred his rangers in the “Battle on Snowshoes.” 

If you come here, bring your canoe (or kayak), as the state campground no longer rents boats. A private campground down the road does but at a steep price and a rigid 5 p.m. return time. On weekends, you may find multiple boaters watching the mad climbers do their thing. 

It took about 90 minutes to make our way to the top. We threw the two ropes needed to descend and they tangled on the rocks as ropes often do. 

But, apart from the looming boat-return deadline, we were in no rush to rappel. The view of Lake George never disappoints.