It is always a pleasure to discover an RV park that stands alone as a preferred destination for RV'ers of all ages. Lake George R.V. Park, located on route 149, just south of the village of Lake George in New York's Adirondack mountain region, is one of America's finest RV resorts, with facilities and attractions to suit campers of all ages. (Right: Map Copyright VISTA MAP)

We discovered Lake George R.V. Park while we were preparing a major travel feature on the Adirondack region. Our itinerary called for a one-week excursion covering about 1000 miles round trip from our home base in Toronto, with Lake George ideally located to be the focal point for our Adirondack adventure. We planned to tour the various attractions along route 87, from our northern destination at Fort Ticonderoga, to the Six Flags Great Escape theme park in Lake George. Day tripping in the area is an ideal way to explore the many attractions, with historical, cultural, and shopping adventures around every curve in the road.

Lake George R.V. Park was built in 1966 by Victor King, an avid RV enthusiast whose background in the construction business was clearly put to excellent use in the design of the park. Smooth paved roads wind through more than 100 acres of rolling Adirondack pines, with 400 fully serviced sites grouped into four main areas, each with its own scenic flavour. All sites feature 26 channel cable TV, so make sure you bring your coaxial hookup, or pick up a cable at the store.

(The French Mountain Trading Post and Office complex offers an excellent country store, as well as a comfortable lounge with internet access for guests to hook-up their laptops.) (Top)

(The beautiful French Mountain Playhouse, at the East Building, is part of the entertainment complex, including indoor and outdoor pools, arcade, and much more!)

The campground offers excellent main facilities, with a large and very well stocked country store near the main entrance, and a full auditorium complex at the eastern end of the park, incorporating indoor and outdoor pools, a laundromat, snack bar, arcade, and the magnificent French Mountain Playhouse, home to nightly activities, including free family movies and a very comprehensive schedule of live entertainment.

For the sporting enthusiast, there are two main sporting complexes, featuring tennis, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, and bocce. A softball diamond is nestled into a natural amphitheatre setting, ideal for spectators. Four fully equipped playgrounds will delight the younger campers, and an excellent selection of hiking trails, cycle paths, a paddle boat pond and bass fishing facilities provide an outstanding variety of recreational activities. There's even a fully equipped adult fitness center, located in the west building. (Top)

One of the most attractive aspects of Lake George R.V. Park is the thorough planning that has gone into every facet of the RV camping experience. While the grounds are far too large to walk from end to end on a regular basis, there is a regular trolley service that operates from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. during the summer months, continually offering campers a ride from one area of the park to another. At the end of the route, the trolley heads south to the local outlet mall and restaurant area. From this point, Lake George R.V. Park guests can transfer to the municipal trolley service, which for a small fare will take you local shopping malls, and the Great Escape theme park. This is also a Lake George Municipal trolley stop at the Lake George R.V. Park.

For all practical purposes, once you park your RV, you don't have to move the vehicle again until your stay at the park is over. This adds a tremendous amount of relaxation to your vacation - even though most of the sites are drive-throughs, it is nice to be able to get around without having to unhook the RV.

We were most impressed with the friendly staff, and the immaculate condition of Lake George RV Park. Dave King and his staff have everything planned to the tiniest detail… we went to Bingo one evening, and by the time the intermission rolled around, there was a big bonfire ready at an adjoining pavilion.

There's no doubt about it, this is one park we will visit again - probably on a regular basis. We visited with Victor King, who built the facility in 1966, and whose family has continued to enhance the park, and Victor asked us if we had any suggestions for additional facilities, or improvements that could be made to the grounds… we've been to many RV parks over the past 30 years, and all we could say in response to this question was that this park has everything an RV enthusiast could ask for, and so much more! (Top)

2002 Daily rates for Lake George RV Park range from $34 US per night in the Spring season, to $47 per night during the Summer, based on two people, mid-week. Weekends are an additional $3 US per night, holiday weekend rates are slightly higher.