It has been quite the winter up in the North Country. December was cold and snowy, with some of the coldest stretches we have seen for years. The Lake froze over in late December, which is about a month early. The snowpack at the holidays made for a beautiful scene all around, with almost a foot of snow falling on Christmas Day! The beginning of January was cold as well, but then the middle of the month brought the first thaw of this winter. Most of the snowpack melted away in just a 12 hour period, as warm temperatures in the 60’s and a steady drizzle stayed for an entire day. Winter returned in early February with a few good snowstorms, setting up for a great ice bar season and Winter Carnival.
Ice Bars have become very popular at Lake George, as the region is trying to become more of a year round destination. Ice Bars in Bolton Landing, at the Inn at Erlowest, and a few in Lake George Village made Lakeshore Drive a busy road. Sitting on an ice made stool, at an ice made bar, with the frozen Lake in the background is a great way to spend a weekend in the winter.
The Winter Carnival has been a great success this year in Lake George Village. All of the events were able to go off as scheduled, including outhouse races on the ice, car and motorcycle races on the ice, helicopter tours, ice skating, slides, and some good cook offs! If you haven’t seen it at least once in your life, it is worth a weekend trip up one year to head on out onto the frozen Lake and take part in some of the winter fun.
At the Lodge we are in the heart of the reservation process. We heard from many of last years guests who rebooked accommodations for the 2018 summer season. It is always great to hear from so many guests who are excited about the summer, and many who have already started a countdown to the Lake! We have also been busy placing many new guests into accommodations for this summer. There are still great accommodations available for almost every week this summer.
It is at this time of year that we start itching to get outside and start the clean up for the spring. It is currently 60 degrees and sunny out, with the snowpack once again melting quickly away. But it changes so quickly up in the North Country, as we are expecting temps to drop 40 degrees tonight and some snow tomorrow. We will keep busy with indoor projects and reservations, and patiently await warmer days. Hot, summer days filled with sailing and lounging at the Lake will be here soon enough.