Though many may wish to spend New Year’s Day 2023 under a comforter recuperating from New Year’s Eve celebrations, there are several activity options in Lake George if you are eager to jump into the New Year.
The Lake George New Year’s Day Polar Plunge is returning to Shepard Park Beach. Registration will be held at Duffy’s Tavern, Lower Amherst Street, on Dec. 31, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and New Year’s Day beginning at 10:30 a.m. The cost is $10 with proceeds benefitting the Springfield Shriner’s Hospital for Children and the Lake George Volunteer Fire Department. Long sleeve polar plunge 2023 t-shirts will be available for $10.
On New Year’s Day, plungers will enter the lake in waves of 400 with the first wave going in at 1 p.m. The second wave is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. and the third wave will be at 1:30 p.m. The plunge will be followed by a New Year’s Day Polar Plunge party at Duffy’s, 2-6 p.m., featuring the band Dirt Cheap. For more information, call (518)668-5323 or (518)361-2559.
If jumping into the icy waters of Lake George with several hundred people isn’t your cup of tea, but you would like to get outdoors, a First Day hike up Prospect Mountain may be more your speed. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is sponsoring a series of New Year’s Day hikes across the state. The hike up Prospect Mountain meets up at 9 a.m. at the Smith Street Trailhead in Lake George Village (43.4254°N, 73.7197°W). The hike is 1.5 miles and climbs 1,630 feet to the summit with its famous 100-mile view of Lake George, the Green Mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the Adirondack High Peaks and, if conditions are right, the Canadian Laurentians.
Parking is available at the trailhead and on nearby streets. Hikers must wear appropriate footwear for ice and snow and bring traction devices such as snowshoes with crampons or microspikes. Hikers are advised to wear and bring warm clothes, dress in layers and bring food and water. Cameras are recommended.
Registration is limited to 20. To register or for more information, contact Ben Thomas at benjamin.thomas@dec.ny.gov (reference ‘First Day Hike’ in the subject line) or call (518) 623-1268.
If you prefer New Year’s Day on the lake, rather than in it or over it, you may be interested in a Frostbite Cruise. Shoreline Cruises, recently renamed Lake George Waterfront Cruises, is continuing its First Day tradition with 1.5-hour cruises. The cruises depart from the Lakefront Walkway at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Frostbite Cruises include beer, wine and champagne drink tickets, “comfort” food and live music by Funk Evolution. Purchase tickets online at the Lake George Waterfront Cruises website. Cost: Adults $45 | Youth ages 12-20 $40 | Child ages 2-11 $20.