Chase your wanderlust. Experience a newfound sense of independence roaming the Adirondack Mountains, and explore the Lake George Area without any expectations. New opportunities are bound to open up when you vacation solo. Hesitant to make the journey on your own? Let us give you some solo traveling advice and help to organize a laid-back itinerary so you can start packing your luggage ASAP!
Before Solo Traveling:
- Check the weather – tune in to the forecast for your destination. Not only does this simplify the task of packing, but it also helps you plan weather dependent activities, especially in the winter!
- Confirm reservations – call ahead or double-check your email for confirmation. Verify with accommodations and attractions you’ve booked to clear up any miscommunication before checking in.
- Have a plan b – sometimes plans fall through due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. No need to create two different itineraries, but it’s a good idea to have backup options for lodging, dining, and entertainment at the ready.
- Tell someone where you are going – let a trusted family member or friend know what your schedule is and/or consider using a location sharing app. Although the purpose of your trip may be to disconnect, this is a crucial step when solo traveling. And, especially important if you plan on going into the woods or out on the water.
While Solo Traveling:
- Try to avoid overcrowded spots – 2026 is going to be busy travel year, and some crowds will be inevitable. Seek out “mom-and-pop” shops when you can, as they are what will distinguish one vacation from another.
- Go with the flow – don’t put too much pressure on yourself to experience all the area has to offer in just one trip. Instead, anticipate on visiting again soon. Plan on going to only a handful of attractions at the top of your list and let everything else fall in to place.
- Be aware of your surroundings – no matter where you go, your personal safety is top priority. Only share your room number with staff, and never say it out loud within earshot of strangers.
- Don’t be afraid to make new friends – group tours are great ways to meet likeminded tourists and share an adventure with other people while still preserving your sense of independence. Or, converse with friendly locals during happy hour for the best recommendations.
Transportation Tips:
Detailed instructions on getting to the Lake George Area by plane, train, car, and bus can be found on our website, or by clicking here. Once you’ve arrived, there are several options to consider on how you navigate around the area.
By Car
Take the scenic route! Adding together the acres of land and water, the region is close to 900 square miles with stretches of sparsely populated forest between towns. The easiest way to get around the Lake George Area is by car if you intend on staying in more remote parts or venturing far from your accommodations. Uber and Lyft are available, but not to the same extent and reliability as large cities.
By Trolley
Parking spots fill up fast during the summer season. If you want to explore Bolton Landing, the Lake George Village, or downtown Glens Falls, and are also staying in one of these bustling communities, leave your car at your hotel or campground and catch one of the blue trolleys operated by CDTA. This popular mode of public transportation for tourists runs 7 days a week from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, with weekend only service Labor Day through Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Fare for the trolley is $1.50 and free for children 5 and younger. Regular season service is 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., running every 20 to 30 minutes. Hop on or off the trolley at any of the blue & white designated signs to visit some of our highly sought-after attractions.
By Bike
Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Don’t sacrifice your healthy lifestyle when going on vacation. CDPHP Cycle! is a public bike-sharing system that promotes an active way to get around via E-bike or pedal bike. Locate a CDPHP Cycle station in the Lake George Village, Queensbury, or downtown Glens Falls and in just five simple steps you can start (and end) a ride:
- Download the mobile app and choose a plan. Pay as you go rates are $0.15/minute (+ $1.00 to unlock) for E-bikes and $0.08/minute for pedal bikes.
- Scan the QR code on the handlebar of the bike to unlock it.
- Remove the lock cable and secure it using the hook under your seat. Those 14 years of age and under are required by NYS law to wear a helmet, however it is highly recommend for all ages. *Please yield to pedestrians and obey traffic laws while riding.
- To end a ride, park your bike back at a CDPHP Cycle! rack. E-bikes can be parked outside of Cycle! racks for a $2 convenience fee.
- Lock the bike using the cable to secure to to the rack. Using the app, take a picture of your properly locked bike to end your ride.
Your Solo Traveling Itinerary:
From visiting our “Queen” to eating like the locals, earning a fine arts degree, taking a hike, tire-ing yourself out, and shopping ’til you drop – here is your solo traveling itinerary based on season. Keep scrolling, we’ve even included where to stay!
Spring & Summer
Visit our “Queen” as these seasons seamlessly flow into one another. A beloved nickname for Lake George, the “Queen of American Lakes” is a 32-mile long pristine body of water, carved out of the southern Adirondack Mountains by massive glaciers long ago. And, the best way for a solo traveler to become acquainted with the “Queen” is through a sightseeing or specialty steamboat cruise with the Lake George Steamboat Company or Lake George Waterfront Cruises, who resume their regular voyages come May every year.
Or, maybe you just want to dip your toes in the water. In the summer months, Lake George draws new and repeat visitors for year-round relaxation along its scenic banks. Park your cooler in the sand, lay out a towel, and slip on your shades. Watch all the excitement happening in the southern basin, or drift off on less frequented shores farther north. There is at least one public beach for swimming and sunbathing in every community around the “Queen” (see below):
Lake George Beach; Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Lake George
- Lake George Beach (a.k.a Million Dollar Beach)
- Shepard Park
- Usher Park
Bolton Landing
Hague
Eat like the locals and make your way through the Lake George Area while experiencing our variety of regional and international cuisine. With talented chefs at fine dining establishments and home-cooked meals at mom-and-pop diners, your taste buds will thank you. Welcoming hosts and hostesses will guide you to an intimate table for one with waterfront views, or help you with your takeout order to enjoy back at picturesque lodging property views. Grab a tote bag and fill it with fresh produce at weekly farmers markets around the area. The same items found here might even be ingredients in your next meal at our farm-to-table restaurants. Let your inner foodie lead you to spring & summer flavors featured in these blogs:
- Festivals for Foodies – Spring
- Festivals for Foodies – Summer
- In the Lake George Area, We Brunch
- Ice Cream Trail
Earn a fine arts degree when spring showers or the summer sun sends you indoors to seek shelter or shade. Let galleries at The Hyde Collection, LARAC, Lake George Arts Project, and Ruplin Gallery act as your classrooms for studying paintings by renowned Old Masters or local up-and-coming artists, or support our performing arts by attending a show at the Charles R. Wood Theater, The Park Theater, Lake George Dinner Theatre, and Tannery Pond Center. Please do not hold your applause for the talented actors, actresses, bands, and comedians too!
LARAC'S Lapham Gallery; Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
More of a history buff? Travel back in time to experience what life was like at a British Fort during the French & Indian War through a guided tour and reenactments at the Fort William Henry Museum. And, every town has at least one local history museum, such as the Chapman Museum in Glens Falls or the Lake George Courthouse Museum, with artifacts and exhibits that teach about our earliest residents and the area as it has developed into the communities of today.
Take a hike through the valleys or summit mountains on well-maintained and marked hiking trails that unfurl throughout the southern Adirondacks for your classic summer spent in the woods. **No matter the season, we don’t recommend ascending peaks alone if you’re not an experienced solo hiker, but you can lace up your hiking boots and meet an experienced guide at the trailhead, such as Hike with Jackson. Jackson, a Lake George native and certified First Wilderness Responder, offers custom hiking plans for those unfamiliar with the territory but up for the challenge.
If a leisurely walk in the woods is more your speed, there is an abundance of parks & nature preserves as well, but please be mindful that trails may be muddy in the early spring. That said, as spring transitions into summer and northern migration is underway, it becomes one of the most rewarding seasons for birding along your path. Check out our Birding in the Lake George Area blog for an introduction into a hobby perfect for the solo traveler.
Tire yourself out by starting at one end of the Warren County Bikeway and pedaling for miles over paved, rolling hills. Connecting Lake George, Queensbury, and Glens Falls, this multi-use recreational path offers the perfect opportunity for solo travelers to join the growing cycling community in the Lake George Area without merging onto highly-trafficked roads. Or, take it up a notch at mountain biking parks those at Gurney Lane, The Hub, and North Creek Ski Bowl, with trail systems that thread through our challenging Adirondack landscape.
Fall
Still sailing through October, our giants of the lake have open-air decks that offer unobstructed views of Millionaire’s Row and the Tongue Mountain Range. Visit our “Queen” in fall for leaf peeping from a a new perspective out on the water, as our steamboats and cruise ships sail past Adirondack Mountains rising from the shoreline in a gradient of colors. Don’t forget your camera!
What’s on the menu in autumn? Well, to eat like the locals you must experience all the seasonal flavors. Starting with Oktoberfests around the area that showcase limited locally brewed beer, wine, and distilled spirits. For sweet and spooky experiences in the lead up to Halloween, sign up for Barkeater Chocolates Public Chocolate Making Experiences or a Public Haunted Factory Chocolate Session. And, for apple, pumpkin, and all things in between, check out our Festivals for Foodies – Fall blog.
As satisfying as signature flavors are, nothing quite compares to those crunchy footfalls when you take a hike to pre-peak, peak, and past-peak fall foliage views. Set off using our leaf peeping guide for hikes, scenic drives, and gondola rides.
Late September and October visits are also for getting in the spirit. From historical apparitions to local legends, take a tour at our haunted & mysterious locations where available. Even if you go by yourself, you might not be completely alone…
Haunted History Ghost Tours at the Fort William Henry Museum
Winter
When you visit our “Queen” in the winter months it may look quite different, but it’s still entirely possible in as many different ways as spring, summer and fall.
Lake George Waterfront Cruises offers specialized holiday cruises in December and January to visit our “Queen” before she buttons up with ice. Cabins are heated, but remember to dress warm in case you decide to step out on deck for the best vantage points.
Then, brave the polar plunge to experience the lake at its most exhilarating! Join the crowd lining up along the snowy beach in bathing suits, wetsuits, and wacky costumes as they prepare to rush into the freezing winter water temperatures of Lake George. You’ll have several opportunities, as this tradition takes place once in November to benefit our local special olympic athletes, on New Year’s Day for First Day in Lake George, and every Saturday during the Lake George Winter Carnival as well; all polar plunges always take place at Shepard Park in Lake George.
From November through March, eat like the locals by stepping inside your own private snow globe at four of our properties that offer heated igloo dining, from casual first-come-first-serve to elegant fine dining reservations. And as we enter March, you can also enjoy sticky, sweet pure maple syrup and tours around our local sugarhouses during the 3-weekend long Thurman Maple Days. Foodies can find even more winter flavors to warm up with in these blogs:
Igloo Dining at The Queensbury Hotel's Park 26: Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
How about a chill day outdoors? You can still take a hike – just add snowshoes! Learn the snowshoeing basics from our blog (click here), and explore our winter wonderland at dedicated recreation areas.
\Don’t stop biking even when the snow starts falling, continue to tire yourself out. Gurney Lane Recreation Area is your go-to with groomed trails for fat tire biking and even a little friendly competition during the annual Gurney Lane Fat Tire Bike Day in January.
Retail therapy is good for the soul – and especially the solo traveler that needs new winter gear! Hunt for the best name-brand bargains at the Factory Outlets of Lake George. Search the racks at locally-owned boutiques for casual and trendy threads. Spend as long as you desire browsing antique shops or artisan storefronts for unique souvenirs. And, better yet, mix shopping with entertainment at the Aviation Mall.
When the holidays rolls around, give the gift of the Lake George Area and shop Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday deals. Find handmade presents at LARAC Winter Arts Festival. The only snag in a solo shopping trip – you’ll have to carry your own bags, heavy with exciting new purchases!
While you’re here…check out an event!
From live music performances to bustling street fairs and vibrant fireworks displays, there is no shortage of entertainment for the solo traveler in the Lake George Area no matter what season you visit. In fact, ice bars are the perfect excuse to come out of hibernation and embrace our coldest months. So, why not plan your trip around one of our featured events, or attend a free festival while you’re in town? Click here for a list of all our various events happening during the duration of your stay.
Glacier Ice Bar & Lounge at The Sagamore Resort; Photo Credit: Kacey O'Brien
Where to Stay/Year-Round Lodging
Catch some z’s… there’s no better feeling than being tucked in between fresh sheets and a fluffy comforter after an exhausting day. There are affordable lodging options throughout the region ready to accommodate the wants and needs of every solo traveler. Retire to a rustic cabin and roaring fire hidden among the pines, or let gentle waves lull you to sleep at a waterfront cottage. Check-in to the luxury resort/hotel of your dreams or a homey bed & breakfast where you’ll be treated like family. The most adventurous solo travelers will find a place to set up camp and snooze under a star-filled summer night sky. No matter where you lay your head, a good night’s rest is easy to come by in the Lake George Area.
Cabin rental at 1000 Acres Ranch Resort