Parking will be Restricted to Designated Parking Areas along Shelving Rock Road

Improvements Planned for Dacy Clearing Road

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the town of Fort Ann today announced efforts to improve parking on Shelving Rock Road, access on the nearby Dacy Clearing Road, and the experience of visitors to the Shelving Rock Day Use Area in the Lake George Wild Forest, DEC Regional Director Bob Stegemann and Fort Ann Supervisor Richard Moore announced today.

“The Shelving Rock Day Use Area provides numerous outdoor recreational opportunities in a stunning setting, and Dacy Clearing provides access to many more,” said Director Stegemann. “DEC is pleased to work with the town of Fort Ann to improve access to these popular locations and protect these natural resources while providing a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors.”

“Restricting parking to the designated parking areas along Shelving Rock Road will address ongoing safety concerns and help to protect the beauty of this area for many years to come,” said Supervisor Moore.

Town of Fort Ann crews will construct a new parking area on DEC managed Forest Preserve lands along Shelving Rock Road and rehabilitate the eight existing parking areas. Together, the nine parking areas will provide parking for 92 vehicles. In addition, the town of Fort Ann has enacted a local ordinance prohibiting parking vehicles on the shoulders of Shelving Road. Parking will only be allowed in the nine designated parking areas along the road.

The Shelving Rock Day Use Area on the eastern shore of Lake George in the southeastern Adirondacks is popular with residents and visitors. Whether to visit the of Shelving Rock Bay and enjoy the scenic view of Lake George and its western shoreline, hike the trails to the picturesque Shelving Rock Falls and the summits of nearby Buck, Sleeping Beauty, and Shelving Rock Mountains, or rock climb on the cliffs on Shelving Rock and Sleeping Beauty Mountain. The area provides visitors with a variety of outdoor recreational experiences.

In recent years, the popularity of the area has caused public safety issues, significant impacts to natural resources, and poor outdoor experiences for visitors due to overcrowding. Emergency response vehicles have trouble accessing the area due to the many cars lining both sides of the road. Trails and the shoreline have become heavily eroded due to overuse.

The improvements will reduce the number of visitors at the location at any one time while allowing the lands to recover, better infrastructure maintenance, and a more safe and enjoyable experience for visitors.

Previously, DEC constructed 13 designated tent sites along Dacy Clearing Road and Shelving Rock Road and restricted camping to these designated sites. This successfully addresses the impacts of overuse by camping that was occurring. The Shelving Rock Day Use Area (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9194.html) web page contains more information and link to a map of the area.

In addition to the primitive tent sites along Dacy Clearing Road, the road and the Dacy Clearing Parking Area provide access for hikers to more than 25 miles of trails and the summits of Erebus and Sleeping Beauty Mountains; for backpacker access to the lean-tos on Fish Brook Pond, Greenland Pond, and Millman Pond; for anglers to Bumps Pond, Fish Brook Pond, and Greenland Pond; and for hunters and trappers to more than 20,000 acres of Forest Preserve land.

During the summer, crews from the town of Fort Ann, under a DEC contract, will make improvements to the 1.5 mile section of the Dacy Clearing Road between the Hogtown Parking Area and the Dacy Clearing Parking Area. Work will include improved ditching and drainage, grading, resurfacing and raking.

The improvements will allow easier access to Dacy Clearing Parking Area. The improvements should also result in the road being opened sooner in the spring and remain open later in the fall. In addition, damage from heavy rains that often resulted in temporary road closures until maintenance was completed will occur less frequently.