The Lake George Trolley, Explained

If you've ever tried to park on Canada Street in July, you already understand why the trolley exists. Leave the car at the hotel and pay $1.50 to ride past it all. Here's how the system actually works in 2026, and which hotels put you on the route.

Trolley Basics

The Lake George trolley is run by CDTA (Capital District Transportation Authority), not the village itself. It's a real public bus dressed up as a trolley, which matters because the fare structure is standard transit pricing, not a tourist tax.

• Fare: $1.50 one-way. Free for kids 5 and under. Add $1 if you're riding past Hearthstone Point Campground toward Diamond Point or Bolton Landing.
• 2026 season: Weekends only from Sunday, May 24 through Saturday, June 28. Daily service begins June 29 and runs through Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend in October.
• Hours: Roughly 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with trolleys arriving every 20 to 30 minutes.
• Two routes: #876 (Glens Falls–Lake George) and #877 (Lake George–Bolton).

The Routes

Route #876 — Glens Falls to Lake George. The south leg. Connects downtown Glens Falls with the Lake George RV Park, the outlets along Route 9, the Great Escape, and Lake George Village. Use it for the outlets without fighting Route 9 traffic.

Route #877 — Lake George to Bolton Landing. The lake-side leg, and the one most visitors care about. Runs north from Beach Road near the Steamboat Dock, up Lake Shore Drive through Diamond Point, past Hearthstone Point, and into Bolton Landing near The Sagamore. Stops are informal — stand on the side of the road in the direction you want to go, wave, and ask the driver to let you off where you need. That's how it has always worked.

Stops Worth Knowing

A few stops do real work for visitors:

• Beach Road / Steamboat Dock — Your hub. Steamboat Company, Million Dollar Beach, five-minute walk to lower Canada Street.
• Canada Street — Shops, mini-golf, most restaurants. Multiple flag stops along the strip.
• Charles R. Wood Festival Commons — Where the Wine and Food Festival happens. Walkable from the village stops.
• The Great Escape (#876) — Drops you across from the gate. Skip the $20 parking.
• Outlets on Route 9 (#876) — Adirondack Outlet Mall, Log Jam, French Mountain Commons.
• Diamond Point (#877) — Lakeside lodges cluster here, about four miles north of the village.
• Bolton Landing / Sagamore (#877) — Northern terminus. Good lunch stop even if you're not staying.

Hotels On or Walkable from the Route

Pricing here is the honest part: "semi-affordable" in Lake George in late June starts around $200/night and goes up fast. A few editorial calls for an anniversary trip that wants trolley access without renting a car:

In the village (walkable to everything, on the #876/#877 hub):

• Quality Inn Lake George — On Canada Street, on the trolley line, one of the more reasonable village rates. Confirm current rates direct.
• Lake Crest Inn — Family-run, walkable to Beach Road. Ask at booking whether they still offer the door pickup arrangement.
• Fort William Henry Hotel — Pricier, but the closest full-service hotel to both the Steamboat Dock and the festival grounds.
• Holiday Inn Resort Lake George — Village side, near Fort William Henry, walkable to Canada Street stops.

Diamond Point (#877, ~4 miles north):

• Adirondack Diamond Point Lodge — Directly on the #877 corridor at 3629 Lake Shore Drive. Cabins and rooms, quieter than the village, trolley to Canada Street in roughly 15 minutes. Good anniversary fit if you'd rather not sleep above mini-golf.

Bolton Landing (#877 north end):

• The Sagamore Resort — The splurge. On the trolley line, but you won't ride much if you stay here.
• Bolton Landing motels and B&Bs along Lake Shore Drive — Lower rates than the village; tradeoff is a 20–30 minute trolley ride to Canada Street.

Adirondack Wine and Food Festival: The Quick Version

The 10th annual festival runs Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28, 2026 — Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. — at Charles R. Wood Park Festival Commons, 17 Elizabeth Little Boulevard (formerly West Brook Road) in Lake George Village. More than 120 wineries, breweries, distilleries, and food vendors from across New York.

For trolley riders, the festival grounds are a short walk from the Beach Road and Canada Street stops. CDTA also runs free shuttles from designated parking lots (Lake George Village Lot and the Elementary School) every 20 minutes starting around 8:30 a.m. on festival days. Stay anywhere on the trolley route and you don't need to think about parking.

Plan on 3–4 hours inside. Small pours and tickets — pace yourself, drink water, don't try to do both days unless one of you is the designated driver-by-trolley.

Practical Tips

• Bring small bills or coins. The fare is $1.50. Drivers don't make change for a $20.
• Wave the trolley down. Outside the village core, stops are informal. If you're at a hotel on Lake Shore Drive, just stand where you're visible.
• Last trolley back matters. Service ends around 11 p.m. If you're staying in Diamond Point or Bolton and going to dinner in the village, check the current schedule before you leave the hotel.
• Festival weekend is the worst traffic of June. If you're staying north of the village, ride the trolley both ways. Driving in on Saturday is a mistake you make once.
• For the anniversary trip specifically: Diamond Point gives you quieter mornings and a trolley to everything else. The village puts you steps from the festival but louder at night. Pick your tradeoff honestly.

The trolley is genuinely the best $1.50 you'll spend in Warren County. Use it.