Calves Pen - Lake George

Hiking in New York

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Difficulty: Difficult
Length: 2.3 miles / 3.7 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: If you don't have access to a boat use this guide to find your way to the most popular cliff jumping spot on Lake George. There are multiple heights for you to jump from. You will have great views out over the lake as well. The trail/herdpath to the spot can be tricky but if you follow this guide and stay along the shoreline the long trip will be well worth it.

Tips: Parking:
Follow Route 149 East towards Fort Anne from Lake George. 1.6 miles east of the intersection of Rte 149 and 9 take a left onto Buttermilk Falls Road. 3 miles down this road Buttermilk Falls becomes Sly Pond Raod and becomes unpaved. At 8.7 the name changes to Shelving Rock Road. Look for a large parking lot shortly on the right. This is the Hogtown trailhead. From this trailhead follow Shelving Rock Road downhill for 2.5 miles to where it crosses over Shelving Rock Brook on a bridge. Park just before the bridge.

Points of Interest

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Parking

Park at the bottom of Shelving Rock Road near the bridge over Shelving Rock Creek. Head down the dirt carraige road from here towards the lake.

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Leave the Official Trail

Here you will need to start heading south down the lake shore. From here the trail may be hard to follow. It does follow the shore closely but you may find yourself off the trail at times scrambling over rocks.

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Calve's Pen

Here you will be able to climb the rocks and jump into the water below. There is a place for you to climb out safely and the water is very deep. Just make sure you jump out enough to clear all the rocks. This is a very popular site on the lake for locals. There used to be a tree at the top that a local family would climb and jump from but after several tourists got hurt they cut it down. In 2001 I climbed a tree near the top to add another 15 feet or so to the jump but it was terrifying and not advisable. There are several levels to jump from so take your pick. Head back the same way you came. A southern approach to this area may seem shorter but there are private lands you are not allowed to cross so it would be more difficult. The guy in the photo jumping is when I jumped from the tree.. nearly 70 feet.