Berry Pond Preserve
1,436 acres in the Towns of Lake George, Warrensburg and Lake Luzerne
LGLC purchased the
Berry Pond tract on January 22, 2008, for $2.654
million, marking the largest dollar purchase in LGLC history and the largest
acreage purchased at one time from a single landowner. The purchase has been
made possible in part through a loan from the Open Space Conservancy (OSC) and
funding provided by the Helen V. Froehlich Foundation.
The Berry Pond Preserve includes the
headwaters of West Brook, a tributary that has a significant impact on the water
quality of Lake George. This single project connects nearly 10,000 acres of protected
land, linking New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC)
Prospect Mountain, The Nature Conservancy’s recently acquired Finch, Pruyn &
Co., Inc. parcels, and other land owned by the Village and Town of Lake George.
The Preserve includes Berry Pond, a pristine
wetlands and open water wilderness that is home to an active beaver community
and contains a small great blue heron rookery. The highpoints of the land
provide expansive views of Lake George to “the Narrows” and southern views to
Butler Pond and the lower Adirondacks. The tract is one of only two tracts
specifically targeted in DEC’s Lake George Open Space Conservation Plan for
purchase. Situated adjacent to the existing Lake George Recreation Center, the
Berry Pond tract will provide significantly expanded outdoor recreational
resources for residents and area guests.
Access to the Berry Pond trails is gained through the
Village of Lake George’s Recreation Center trail system. The trails are
identified with LGLC’s Blue markers. The Blue trail leads hikers off of the Rec.
Center trails and ascends 280-feet over 0.4 miles to the Berry Pond land
boundary. After another 0.2 miles, the Blue trail intersects with the Orange
trail. Hikers can then choose to continue along the Blue trail to reach views
looking north at Lake George (1620-ft elevation) and south (1640-ft elevation).
This is a 520-ft elevation gain over approx. 1 mile.
From the initial junction of the Orange and Blue
trails, the Orange trail follows a logging road for 0.56 miles 300-ft elevation
gain) to the second junction with the Blue Trail. The Orange trail then leads
southwest for 0.1 miles to the Berry Pond loop. Following the loop clockwise,
the trail continues along the logging road for approx. 0.25 miles before cutting
into the woods for a forested, pond-side trail for the remaining 0.75 miles of
the loop.
Trail Intensity: Blue trail – moderate/challenging,
some steep sections. Orange trail – easy
