Cook Mountain was purchased in 1876 by George Delano. George fought in the Civil War, where he was wounded in the raid at Harper's Ferry. After attending business school and then running a diner in Poughkeepsie, George moved to the northern end of Lake George to farm the slopes of Cook Mountain. He maintained a "sugar bush" for maple syrup and two apple orchards, shipping the fruit to New York Cit
y. The Cook Mountain Preserve was established in 1990 through the generation donation of 176 acres by Donald and Marjorie Delano, George's grandchildren. In 1995, the preserve was expanded by an 18-acre addition donated by Dr. and Mrs. George Boyle. The preserve harbors a variety of habitats, from moist wetlands and overgrown farmland to mixed hardwood/coniferous forest and dry rocky-summit grassland. Remnants of stone walls run up the mountain's slope, reminders of how different Cook Mountain and the land surround Lake George looked when cleared for farms at the turn of the century. The one and one-half mile Summit Trail passes through a variety of habitats from moist wetlands and overgrown farmland to mixed hardwood/coniferous forest and dry rocky-summit grassland. Remnants of a beaver lodge and dams, as well as rare wetland plants, such as Hill’s pondweed, can be spotted on the lower portions of the trail. From the rocky summit, you can enjoy an expansive view of northern Lake George with minimal shoreline development and imagine how the lake’s water quality would be compromised if these forests harbored buildings rather than trees, wildflowers, birds and other important creatures.
