The Adirondack Park
The Adirondack Park, the largest park preserve in the U. S comprising 6 million acres or 9,375 square miles. It’s as large as Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Everglades, Great Smoky National Park and the Grand Canyon, all wrapped into one. It’s larger than the state of New Hampshire.
On May 15, 1885, the Forest Preserve was created by the legislature that the Adirondacks “be forever wild” In 1894, protection was guaranteed by a state constitution amendment to preserve the state’s water supply and other valuable resources because of harvesting timber. It contains 5,000 square miles of forests, lakes and mountains, occupying 1/5 of New York State’s land area.
The Adirondack Park is a vacation haven for more than 10 million people who come each year to hike over 2,000 miles of trails, ski and snowmobile hundreds of miles of trails, and camp at 42 state campgrounds. There are 46 mountain peaks over 4,000 feet high (referred to as the “High Peaks”) that cover over 1,200 square miles of the northeast sector and some rugged peaks some up a mile high including 9 Alpine summits. The bedrock of these mountains is estimated to be 1.2 billion years old. The highest mountain in NY State is Mt. Marcy at 5,344 feet, one of those High Peaks.
There are 2,759 lakes and ponds and more than 1,500 miles of rivers that are fed by 30,000 miles of streams and brooks. The park contains the head waters to the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, as well as the Black, St. Lawrence and Mohawk Rivers.
The Town of Bolton Landing
Islands… nearly all of the 172 islands on Lake George are located within the boundaries of Bolton, offering a unique setting for camping or picnicking. Visit our marinas to rent a boat or to launch your own. Enjoy hours of relaxation in or on the water.
Beaches, playgrounds, boat docking and other activities can be found in our 2 large public parks. Rogers Park
hosts free concerts and movies during July & August and fireworks for the Fourth
of July and Labor Day.
Education awaits families at Up Yonda Farm, a 73-acre educational natural resource facility. The Marcella Sembrich Opera Museum and the Bolton Landing Historical Museum both provide a peek at our rich culture and history.
Romantic dinner for 2, or fun family dining can be enjoyed in one of our many diverse eateries. Lite fare from colorful delis provide all you will need for a picnic on shore or on the water.
Outdoor adventures, such as hiking, rock climbing and much more can be found in the hills and mountains surrounding Bolton Landing.
Shop for that perfect memento to remind you of your Bolton Landing vacation.
Bolton’s Artists
“Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin thirty-two miles long and from two to four miles broad, finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal and the mountainsides covered with rich groves of silver fir, white pine, aspen and paper birch down to the water, here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony. An abundance of speckled trout, salmon trout, bass, and other fish with which it is stored, have added to our other amusements the sport of taking them.”—Thomas Jefferson”
Jefferson wrote this quote in May 1791 but it still holds true and could have been written today.
The unique inspiration of the lake that Jefferson recognized has been an attraction for numerous artists that have either come for a visit or summered here for years. Without a doubt among the most notable are famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz and his wife, world-renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe, both of whom did some of their most famous pieces while on Lake George.
David Smith… Sculptor
But one outstanding artist decided to make Bolton Landing his home.
“I like outdoor sculpture, and the most practical thing for outdoor sculpture is stainless steel, and I make them and I polish them in such a way that on a dull day, they take on the dull blue, or the color of the sky in the late afternoon sun, the glow, golden like the rays, the colors of nature… They are colored by the sky and the surroundings”.
Written by sculptor, David Smith, this quote makes you understand why he and his wife, artist Dorothy Dehner made Bolton Landing their home. They purchased a dilapidated farmhouse on 86 acres in 1929 where they came to visit every summer until making it their permanent home in 1940. David worked from his studio he named “Terminal Iron Works” and his vast fields were home to his fabulous oversized pieces. Sadly Bolton Landing along with the rest of the world mourned the loss of the “Father of American Sculpture” in 1965 to a tragic car accident. David had designed a sculpture prior to his death that his welder Leon Pratt finished and is now on display outside of the Bolton Historical Museum. The David Smith Estate recently awarded a Key that David created and that will be on display at our Bolton Free Library. Both the Library and Museum have extensive information and photos on David Smith.
Elsa Kny Steinback
Elsa Kny Steinback may not be world-renowned, but she certainly was a celebrated local author and painter. Elsa grew up in NYC and spent each summer at Shelving Rock in the Narrows. Her grandfather built a summer home there and this is where Elsa ended up living 5 months of each year. She eventually had a winter home in north Bolton. Her paintings depicted the woods and lake that she loved so dearly.
Elsa is the author of “Sweet Peas and a White Bridge on Lake George When Steam Was King” which is filled with well known and not so well known Lake George facts and stories. Elsa illustrated the book and included many photos.
Elsa’s father, William E. Steinback, was the Chamber of Commerce President during the 1940’s. In 1945 Elsa donated funds to erect the current structure. The building was dedicated on May 30, 1948.
Upon Elsa’s death her family auctioned off her art work and donated the money to the Bolton Rescue Squad. There is a fireboat currently on the lake that is named the Miss Elsa in her honor.
Bolton’s many talented artists keep the tradition alive with many art shows and exhibitions throughout the season. Check the events calendar!