Camping on Lake George

Growing up I never went camping. I know, this may be shocking for some of you. In fact, I have never ever gone camping up until the other week when we went with friends. Camping on Lake George was just as magical as I hoped it would be. I’ll sharing all the details here, but first let me just paint a mental image for you. I have many photos I took whilst camping. I hope you enjoy this post!

Hop on a pontoon boat with us as we glide down Lake George. The water is crystal clear and relatively warm when you compare it to the Atlantic Ocean which is what we’re used to here in Scituate Harbor. The fragrance of fresh pine needs shower over you just as mountains soar above. You see a majestic great blue heron nestled on the banks, families frolicking in the shimmering water, and an industrious beaver building a lodge by your dock.

What I Loved

You all know I’m always inspired by nature in my artwork and my home decor and I really wanted to go camping for the experience – the camp fires, the s’mores, the camaraderie with friends and building memories with our boys, but I also wanted an experience of being immersed in Nature (with a capital N).

That first morning, I woke up with the sun and the soft softs of lake life beckoned.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the beaver swimming, ducks visiting our dock whilst we sipped coffee searching for food, and the crisp air. It all felt so fresh and alive. I thought my friend, Sally, who likes to forage was gathering food, but instead I saw it was four Canada Geese breakfasting on wild blueberries. We spent the days enjoying the lake – swimming, tubing, and relaxing.

At night, other sounds and sites welcomed us into this serene place. Fire flies glowing like golden orbs in the darkness; a sight I haven’t really experienced since my childhood in the country. The call of the loon, the crackle of the fire, and laughter of our children telling stories. Oh, and the stars, smattered across the sky!

On the second night, soft rain pattered rhythmically on our tent and as I watched bugs crawl across it. I felt so happy and calm. My husband and sons sound asleep in our little tent on a little island on Lake George. This is what I truly loved about Lake George and my very first time camping.

About Lake George

Okay, here’s more about Lake George. It’s considered the cleanest lake in the United States. It’s crystal clear and it was about 74 degrees Farenheit in July. Lake George is located in upstate New York in the Adirondack region. Lake George was named after King George II of England in 1755 during the French Indian War. We stayed on the islands of Lake George. Lake George has around 170 islands and 100 with camping sites. See more about camping on the islands here.

Getting Here

Lake George is approximately four hours from Scituate. We had a leisurely jaunt in the car breaking up the journey with stops in Sturbridge along the way. We stopped at Tree House Brewing Company which has lovely walking trails, refreshments, and a beautiful shop. I loved the trellised outdoor entertaining space.

We arrived in Saratoga Springs around 5pm and checked into our hotel and then strolled the town which is lovely. Saratoga Springs is known for horse racing and has many shops devoted to horses, racing, and lots of racing apparel. Conor got a lovely Australian cowboy hat. We enjoyed a cocktail at The Wine Bar and a group dinner at Catina. We got up early the next day and drove to the boat rental on Lake George, approximately an hour drive.

We rented two boats for our group of 16. One boat was a power boat and the other boat was a pontoon boat. The pontoon boat was able to fit a lot of camping gear while the power boat came in handy to pull tubes.

Most of the camp sites require a boat to get to them so renting a boat is essential for this experience.

Camping on Lake George

If you want to book on Lake George, we recommend you book early. Booking can be done through this site. We booked nine months in advance but found that there was some availability and openings within two months of our trip.

We booked with friends and had four sites across Big Burnt Island. Our friend, Greg, and his daughters had a whole island to themselves, Gem Island, and it was gorgeous. That’s Gem Island above. Our site was 5A and whilst I liked the dock the actual site was at high incline and not very level so not ideal if you have mobility issues.

If booking to camp, I would do some research on their booking site. They have very detailed information and photos.

Cost

Overnight camping cost up $30 a night. It’s cheaper if you’re a resident of New York state.

What’s included

• Camp Site
• Dock
• Tent platform
• Outhouse
• Glen Island has a small shop where you can buy potable water, fire wood, and anything you may have forgotten at home.

Here’s a map of all the camp sites.

Favorites from Our Trip

As a family we discussed what our favorite from the trip was. I loved being in nature and creating these memories with friends. Conor borrowed his friend’s fishing rod and he loved spending most of his time fishing – catch and release – he caught many Blue Gills which are a type of Bream.

John loved foraging and looking for mushrooms and spending time with friends. He said it felt very much like our trips abroad with our extended family.

Luke loved the lazy river aspect. We got tubes and just floating along with a cold beverage.

What We Brought & What Should Have Stayed at Home

As this was our first camping trip we packed A LOT for two nights of camping. To be honest, we overpacked. The forecast was calling for rain and heat. So we packed rain gear, lots of swimsuits, bottles and bottles of sunscreen, and bug spray. We could have packed a lot less. We only needed one or two swimsuits, one pair of pjs, and some clothes. We all brought hiking shoes and didn’t really need them for this trip because spent so much time on the water.

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Essentials We Brought

• Six Person Tent
• Cup hooks to attach to tent platform
• Fans (it was 95 degrees the first night)
• Headlamps
• Air Mattress (we had a queen air mattress and used our sheets and pillows from home)
• Mattress Pads (for the boys)
• Sleeping bags
• Camp towels
• Flipflops
• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen
• Tubes (we brought 4 one for each of us but could have just brought two)
• Portable Battery
• Fishing Rod
• Protein Bars (I’m loving these bars which have added collagen)
• Cold bags and Food
• Portable Stove and Griddle
• Picnic backpack

Meals

Since it was our first time camping as a family, we decided to keep our meals pretty basic. Some of our friends went very gourmet but simple was best for us.

• Breakfast – Skyer Yogurt, blueberries, and granola. Shelf stable iced coffee from Trader Joe’s with shelf stable creamers.
• Lunch – I brought almond butter and strawberry jam and I made us sandwiches for days out on the water and also brought some chips.
• Dinner – We had one dinner at the camp site and went our to dinner with friends our last night. We opted for hotdogs, burgers, and buns and also grilled some halloumi cheese from Trader Joe’s. In addition to that we brought cheese and crackers and chips and salsa. Easy things we could share amongst friends.

What’s Lake George Village Like?

We spent an afternoon in Lake George Village. John and the other kids enjoyed a wax museum. I would say it is more touristy than I expected after the serene time on the islands, but it was fun to walk around and there are lovely places to grab a bite to eat or a drink with a water view.

For dinner on our last night we went to The Algonquin . We had a table for all the kids and a table for all the grown ups and we all enjoyed a lovely dinner with an amazing view!

Would We Go Camping on Lake George Again?

Yes, absolutely, we really enjoyed our time on Lake George. Now that we know what to expect we won’t pack as much and we’ll look more carefully at the description of the camp sites. I think we might spend a bit more time in Saratoga too. We’re already planning our next trip with friends!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please let me know in the comments if you have any specific questions about this trip and you may want to pin this image for later reference:

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