Ticonderoga—Lake George—Saratoga Springs; State 9N and 9K. 70.8 m.
Two-lane concrete or macadam.
Delaware & Hudson R.R. parallels route between Lake George and Saratoga Springs.
State 9N makes its way between the mountains on the west shore of Lake George, squeezing through here and there to a view of the lake waters and the towering sentinel ridges opposite. Both shores of the lake provide semi-seclusion for private estates and large hotel colonies. State campsites on the west shore and at the head of the lake, among the most popular in the State, form a playground for shop and office workers and professional people. Some of the hotels stay open for the winter sports crowd.
Here ran one of the great Indian trails between the St. Lawrence and Mohawk Rivers. Father Isaac Jogues was the first white man to see the lake and named it Lac du Saint Sacrement, May 30, 1646. In 1755 it was given its present name by Sir William Johnson.
The region was inaccessible to settlers, but as part of the Hudson-Champlain gateway to Canada it was fortified and fought over by the British and the French. After Montcalm captured Fort William Henry in 1757, the English cause was kept alive by Robert Rogers and his rangers, as keen in woodcraft and scalping as the Indians, until 1759 when General Jeffrey Amherst captured Ticonderoga. The drumbeats of the Revolution again postponed settlement until after Sir Guy Carleton’s raid of the region in 1780.
The summer resort trade began early; the first hotel appeared about 1800. Crude steamboats took passengers first from stagecoach stops and then from railroad docks to lake shore resorts and private homes. Since 1900 the State has kept much of the region open to the public.
South of TICONDEROGA, 0 m. (200 alt., 3,395 pop.), at the junction with State 22 (see Tour 20), State 9N is shadowed by wooded mountains that hide the lake.
At 1.8 m. (R) are the TICONDEROGA SKI TRAILS.
On the mountain slopes (L) opposite the ski trails took place the Battle of Snowshoes, March 13, 1758, the ambush of 180 English scouts under Robert Rogers by 600 French and Indians; only about 50 of the rangers, including Rogers, escaped. At 2.9 m. the road skirts ROGERS ROCK (L), where, according to tradition, Rogers, fleeing from the Indians after the battle, rolled his pack down to the lake below, retraced his steps, descended to the lake, and returned to his pack. When the Indians reached the precipice they saw Rogers skating up the lake, and, assuming he had performed the feat of sliding down the steep slope, gave up the chase.
At 5.2 m. the road touches the shore of LAKE GEORGE (L), hemmed in for the 32 miles of its length by forest-clad mountain ridges that dip down into the water, forming bays; dark, wooded islands look as tidy as though they had been painted on the water.
In the rock ledge (L), at 6.6 m., are the INDIAN KETTLES, potholes 1 to 3 feet in diameter and 1 to 12 inches deep, which according to legend were used by Indians to prepare food.
In SILVER BAY, 15.1 m. (360 alt., 200 pop.), is the junction with a dirt road.
Left here 0.2 m. to the numerous buildings of the SILVER BAY ASSOCIATION. In July and August the association holds a series of religious and educational conferences sponsored by the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. and attended by 300 to 400 girls and boys of college age.
At 19 m. begins (L) the Tongue Mountain foot and bridle trail system, which climbs the slopes of Fivemile Mountain and Tongue Mountain.
BOLTON LANDING, 29.7 m. (360 alt., 600 pop.), swells in summer to a population of about 2,000. Summer residences are opened; year-round dwellers share their homes with tourists.
South of Bolton Landing the route passes a series of large estates, including the summer homes of Madame Louise Homer, grand opera singer; the Right Reverend Ernest N. Stires, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island; and many leaders in industry and finance. The mansions find seclusion down private roads cut through dense stands of timber.
This ‘Millionaires’ Row’ is invaded by the HEARTHSTONE POINT STATE CAMPSITE (bathing, boating, fishing, playground), 36.9 m., which, with its 350 fireplaces and half a mile of choice lake front, is one of the most popular public campgrounds in the State.
LAKE GEORGE, 39.6 m. (350 alt., 848 pop.), is at the junction with US 9 (see Tour 21). The tour unites with US 9 to the junction with State 9K, 40.7 m., which is now the route.
State 9K cuts through a heavily wooded region of lakes, forests, and dude ranches, which, providing active (but not too strenuous) outdoor life, with real horses and synthetic cowboys, have become popular in the southeastern Adirondacks. There is a 9,000-acre ranch on the north shore (R) of LAKE VANARE (boating, swimming, fishing, horseback riding), 48.3 m., and another on LAKE FOREST (L), 50.3 m.
LUZERNE, 50.9 m. (635 alt., 800 pop.), is another summer and winter resort. North of the village are the STONE MOUNTAIN SKI TRAILS and the LUZERNE SKI TRAILS.
Right from Luzerne on a side road to the CONKLINGVILLE DAM, 6.5 m., which impounds the waters of the Sacandaga River to form the 27-mile long SACANDAGA RESERVOIR (boats, fishing, bathing). The reservoir, completed in 1930, regulates the flow of the Hudson by controlling its tributary, the Sacandaga. The 42 square miles of water cover parts of the villages of Northampton and Mayfield and all of Osborn Bridge. Homes were lifted from their cellars and moved to new foundations built above the high-water mark. In the short time since its completion, the reservoir has become a popular summer resort.
The U.S.EXPERIMENTAL FUR FARM (open Wed. and Fri., July 1–Dec. 1), 67.2 m., conducted by the Department of Agriculture, carries on scientific breeding of fox, mink, and marten to improve fur production and publishes its findings for commercial fur farmers.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, 70.8 m. (330 alt., 13,670 pop.) (see Saratoga Springs), is at the junction with State 29 (see Tour 13) and US 9 (see Tour 21).