The summit of Prospect Mountain was once the site of the Prospect Mountain House. First built in 1877, the hotel was rebuilt, following a fire, in 1880. Between 1895 and 1903, an inclined railway carried people up the mountain. Remains of the old railway may still be seen on the mountaintop. In 1932, the abandoned and rotting hotel, which had become a fire hazard to the surrounding forest, was razed and a fire tower constructed in its place.
In 1925, prominent summer resident George Foster Peabody purchased the property including the mountaintop and the right of way from the mountain’s base in Lake George Village. Peabody deeded the property to New York State to be maintained in perpetuity for public recreation.
Dear Mr. Peabody,
In accepting, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 357, Laws of 1925, your deed of gift of 173 3-8 acres of land including the top of Prospect Mountain to be held for park and recreation purposes, permit me, on behalf of the State, to thank you for what will be an important addition to the public park property of the State and to express my appreciation of the public spirit that prompted the gift.
– Alexander MacDonald, Conservation Commissioner, Sept. 1925
Over the ensuing decades, civic leaders planned the construction of a highway up the mountain. State legislators approved the highway construction in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1965 that Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed a bill appropriating $3 million for construction of the highway and development of recreational facilities on the site.
The highway opened to the public in June 1969 with much fanfare. At the dedication ceremony, local business owner and Master of Ceremonies Robert Flacke called the view from atop Prospect Mountain “the zenith of what we know of America the beautiful.”
Three parking lots with scenic overlooks of the mountains, valleys and the lake are spaced along the 5.5-mile drive. Veterans Memorial Highway ends at a large parking lot with restrooms and picnic tables. From there, visitors may take the shuttle, or hike, up the remaining 155 feet to the summit. It is a steep climb. The summit offers a 360-degree view across the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Visitors may take a self-guided tour by following historic markers to view the remains of the inclined railroad. The summit also has picnic facilities.
The original toll was set at $1.50 for cars and $3.00 for buses. Today, the cost is $10 per car, $5 per motorcycle and $50 for tour buses.