New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Town of Fort Ann have announced efforts to improve parking on Shelving Rock Road, and access along Dacy Clearing Road in the Lake George Wild Forest.

Town of Fort Ann crews is planning to 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.

The popular Shelving Rock Day Use Area on the eastern shore of Lake George provides access to Shelving Rock Bay, Shelving Rock Falls, the summits of nearby Buck, Sleeping Beauty, and Shelving Rock Mountains, and climbing routes on Shelving Rock and Sleeping Beauty Mountain.

In addition to 13 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.

According to an announcement by DEC:  “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 webpage contains more information and link to a map of the area.

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.

During the summer, crews from the Town of Fort Ann, under a DEC contract, are expected to make improvements to the 1.5 mile section of the Dacy Clearing Road between the Hogtown Parking Area and the Dacy Clearing Parking Area to allow easier access to Dacy Clearing Parking Area. Work will include improved ditching and drainage, grading, resurfacing and raking. The improvements are expected to result in the road being opened sooner in the spring and remaining open later in the fall, and reduce the amount of time temporary road closures.