Updated 01/09/2024: Whenever we travel as a family, I am always on the lookout for fun things we can all do, including our small pup, Bella. On our recent trip to the Southern Adirondacks in New York State we decided to try kayaking with Lake George Kayak Co. in Bolton Landing, New York.
Before getting into all the details of our dog friendly kayaking experience with Lake George Kayak Co., let me first give you some insight as to why we choose to visit this area.
Whenever possible, I try to plan our family vacations with our dog in mind. It’s not that I want the trip to center around our dog, but we do prefer that she travels with us.
So, it’s important that she is able to join us on most activities.
At the time, I was looking to go on a last-minute trip before the summer ended. I wanted it to be fairly close to home and have lots of things we could do with our pup. Plus, it needed to be budget-friendly.
The Lake George area was the perfect place for us. It had lots of kid and dog friendly activities and it was relatively inexpensive. Activities like hiking and exploring new towns are free.
To make sure we had plenty to do we decided to explore the surrounding areas. This included spending time in Saratoga Springs, the Lake George Village, and Bolton Landing, New York, in addition to hiking in the southern Adirondacks Mountains.
Getting to Lake George Kayak Co.
Since I booked our trip last minute with our hotel rewards, the choices for dog friendly hotels were limited. We ended up staying in the northern end of Saratoga Springs about 40 minutes away from Bolton Landing.
The Kayak co is located at 3 Boathouse Lane in Bolton Landing, NY. The phone number is 518-644-9366.
The drive was easy and mainly on the highway until we reached route 9 north. Then, it turned into a scenic two-lane road. We drove through most of Bolton Landing, a small lake side village, before reaching Sagamore Rd.
The Lake George Kayak Co. is located on Green Island. Most of Green Island is covered by the Sagamore Resort. As you follow along Sagamore Road it will bring you to a bridge that leads to the island. On the other side of the bridge you will see a gate house.
The gate house is for the Sagamore Resort, which you will need to go into to get to the LG Kayak Co.
On the day that we went, there was also a sign indicating that you needed to pay for parking. As it turns out the paid parking is only for people who were going to the resort for the day.
After telling the gatekeeper where we were headed, he gave us a parking pass. The pass was to be displayed in the car’s front window. He then gave us directions to get to the store.
Shortly, after passing by the guest house there is a directional sign. The Kayak Co is listed on the bottom. From there you will follow Boathouse Lane to a fork in the road.
Here you will find another sign for the Kayak Co directing you to keep left. Lake George Kayak Co is just a short distance down this road.
Just past the Kayak place is a boat yard and docks. There is a “no entrance” sign at this point. Right before this sign you will see a dirt area off the road where you can park your car.
Lake George Store and Barn
Lake George Kayak co. is located in two buildings. The larger of the two building houses their store where you can buy various kayaking. canoeing and SUP supplies.
This is where you will go to sign up and pay for your Kayak rental. LG Kayak co rents out Kayaks, Stand-Up boards and canoes.
At the time of this writing, Kayaks and stand-up boards could be rented for one hour, two hours, half and full days. Canoes are only rented for full days.
Our dog was with us so we brought her into the store. As it turns out there was a large dog on the premises. But he was restricted by a gate to a landing area on the stairs and what looked like an office.
This place is very dog friendly and allows dogs on their kayaks. They asked us if we had a life-jacket for her which we did. We were also advised that some dogs will jump out of the boat.
We didn’t know how long we would be out so it was suggested that we rent for a lesser time period and that it would be adjusted if we went over the time.
If we rented for more time but did not use it they cannot refund the difference. Times are only calculated by the hour.
With this information we only rented for one hour. You will need to fill out a waiver at the same time.
Once the payment is complete and papers are signed, you will be handed a paper and told to go to the barn, which is right next to the store.
Getting a Kayak
If you go down the left-hand side of the barn you will find a small table next to a door. This is the second door on the left side of the building. It’s right next to the stairs down to the dock. You can see it in the below picture.
Here you will hand over the paper work and get your life jackets.
Next, it’s down to the dock where there are kayaks ready to go. Our kids were getting their own single kayaks so they went out first.
Getting into the Lake
The process of getting them into the water was amazing. They were asked to sit in the kayaks holding the paddle up, while they were still on the dock. Then the guy working there, slid the kayak off of the dock backwards into the water.
You would think there would be a big splash or that the kayak would flip, but it didn’t. It was a super smooth transition from the dock to the water without anyone getting wet.
Next, it was our turn. My husband, the dog and I were sharing a two-person kayak. The process was the same.
My husband got in first and sat in the rear seat which had more room. Then I lifted the dog into the boat and placed her near his legs. I sat in the front spot.
This time two guys working there pushed us off the dock into the lake. As it turns out the kayak was somewhat flexible which is why they are able to slide into the lake without any issues.
Although the kayak is flexible when sliding into the lake, it felt very sturdy while on the water.
Also, there was only about a foot’s difference between the height of the dock and the top of the water. I am sure this helped the process go smoothly.
Even if you did have to get into the water, the water near the shore is shallow.
Paddling around
The Lake George Kayak dock is located between Green Island and Bolton Landing in a wake free zone. There are other small marinas and private homes with docks on both the Bolton Landing and Green Island sides of the bay.
Starting off in a no wake zone meant that you could get used to being in the kayak and paddling before getting out in the open areas of Lake George. But it was also busier than the open waters.
The no wake zone stretched from the Sagamore Bridge to the northern end of the island. Once you passed these two points you were no longer protected from the winds or waves.
But on the day we went both were calm.
The lake cruises that come out of Lake George Village come up towards Bolton Landing and wrap around Dome Island before heading back to the village.
If you want to steer clear of the cruises head north towards the Narrows. Here you will find small islands to paddle around.
Since it was our first-time kayaking, we mainly stayed close to Green Island.
How did Bella do in the Kayak
Something to know about Bella is that she does not like getting wet. Which is funny since she is part poodle. She will hold her bladder for hours rather than go out in the rain.
We were not sure how she would react out on the lake. But she did fine.
At first, she seemed nervous. She was also anxious about the kids not being close by. She doesn’t like us splitting up were we are out.
I was worry that she was going to tip the kayak at first because she was moving around a lot. But she didn’t.
Here is Bella in her Life Jacket watching the kids. It’s important that you get the right life jacket for your pup.
She settled in and laid-down after a short period of time. At about the one hour mark we decided to head back in.
The process to get out of the water was just as easy as getting in. The guys working there simply pulled the kayak back onto the dock with us still in it.
Except for the water that dripped down from the paddles, I did not get wet. This was very much appreciated since we still had a full day of sightseeing ahead of us.
Other things to know about Lake George Kayak Co.
In addition to selling and renting kayaks they also sell clothes and other useful things like this floating waterproof bag, which is very important if you want to bring along your phone.
There is also a long cord that can be used to attach it to yourself.
Thankfully we did not have to find out if it really floats, but I can tell you that once it is closed properly it traps in air making the pocket feel like it is inflated.
We used a cell phone inside this pouch to take all the pictures out on the water. In some pictures you can see the water droplets on the pouch. But for the most part the pictures came out clear and our phone stayed dry.
Another important piece of information to know is that they have dressing rooms with a curtain in the store that doubles as a changing room.
Saying Good bye to Lake George Kayak Co.
We had a great experience at Lake George Kayak Company and look forward to one day going up there again.