Luke Dow Photography

Name: Luke Dow Photography
Address: Lake George, NY, US
Telephone: +15189328433

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Luke Dow Photography

I do landscape photography around Lake George and anywhere else my travels take me. Click my photo gallery on here or visit www.lukedowphotography.com

I am a landscape photographer who also dabbles in commercial photography. My cross country travels have taken me to all the corners of the United States including:

-Lake George And the High Peaks Regions in the Adirondack Mountains

-Vermont and New England

-Oregon and Washington

-Montana

-Utah

-Colorado

-Hawaii

-Louisiana

-Northern Arizona

-California and the Lake Tahoe/Nevada Area

To v

iew my photos that I took in these locations check out my various galleries on my website. I dont have all of my photos in these galleries, so if you would like to see the rest of my collection or order a custom print or request a more specific job, then please feel free to contact me!

06/12/2026

Today Ill share a shot I took yesterday, this one is of The Pinnacle overlook while looking north towards Bolton and the Narrows on Lake George.
You can even see some slight "God Rays" coming down through the clouds and lighting up Sleeping Beauty (2,347'), Erebus (2,527'), and Black Mountains (2,646').

Sitting at an elevation of 1,305', the Pinnacle is a nice short hike that offers sweeping 270° views of the lake, mostly looking south.
This is a 73 acre preserve that is owned by the Town of Bolton and maintained by the Lake George Land Conservancy.

That is all Ive got for you today!
Im running lake to drive up to Ticonderoga and I dont want to make the Dutchman mad at me! lol

Have a great weekend and TRY to enjoy/endure the convention in town!
lol

The Pinnacle Overlook
Near Bolton, NY.

June 11, 2026.

06/11/2026

So today Im returning back to the Canoe Islands with this shot of Big and Little Canoe Islands looking north towards Dome Island and Tongue Mountain.

Now in the fall I took a shot of these islands and talked about the story of their recent purchase and subsequent shut down of Canoe Island Lodge and the use of Big Canoe by it's guests and reasons why, I only bring it up because I met a gentleman who worked with the previous owners and new the lady purchasing it and confirmed my findings and it got me reheated, so I had to mention it.
Steward of the lake my ass!
Ok, Ill stop lol

But with this shot I will focus more on the shoal to the south.
Now there is also 2 shoals extending to the north, for the longest time only one was marked, but after the Adirondac hit the other shoal a couple of years ago I urged the other one to be marked as well, but instead of focusing on that I will focus on the south shoal.

Now the south shoal is more well known, since there are a line of rocks extending south of Big Canoe, but I always thought it was just a straight line. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this squiggly line of rocks extending south!
It kinda matches a rocky outcropping that I saw just off of Cooper Point (to the SW a couple of miles).
I dont know how the squiggly line formed, but I do know that there used to be a 3rd island here off the southern end of Big Canoe!
In 1883 Stoddard maps and 1895 topographical maps this round tiny island exists, then it stops showing on maps until 1966 where it is a long and skinny line.
Was this island still here? Or was it just indicating the rocks just above the water?
Without being around back then I really cant say.

But this 3rd lil island did exist, but it looks like is succumb to the same forces as Rush Island did further up the lake. Rising lake levels due to the dam, moving ice, and boat wakes.

But how cool is that squiggly!?

Canoe Islands on Lake George
Near Diamond Point, NY.

June 3, 2026.

06/10/2026

Before the clouds and rains moved in, this morning was a beautiful and calm morning!

Oh how Ive missed these spring/summer sunrises!

No science or history today folks, so enjoy the pretty colors!
Happy Hump Day!
lol

Lake George
New York

June 10, 2026

06/09/2026

Here is a shot I took last week of Long Island and Speaker Heck Is., with the tip of Assembly Point and Pilot K**b (2,163') and Buck Mtn. (2,333').
But on such a clear day, with super calm water, you can really look down and see the shoals in the lake. Sometimes you can look down and see to about 20' deep.

Here you can see how far the shoal extends south of Speaker Heck!
I knew that just like Diamond Island, Big and Little Canoe Islands, and Dome Island there were shoals that extend both north and south of the islands, with the southern shoals always being longer and I DID know that there are similar shoals around Long Island, but I never knew it was this long!
The rock line extends far past the danger buoy!

Now why are there these shoals north and south of these islands in the southern basin is due to the glaciers.
About 1.6 Million Years Ago a huge sheet glacier covered the northern US (all the way to northern Missouri) and it finally retreated 12,000 - 10,000 years ago. During this time the glacier flowed and carved up the land.

So Dome Island is known as a classic Drumlin, which are elongated, teardrop-shaped hills of sediment formed beneath moving glaciers. As an active glacier flows over unconsolidated rock and soil, it streamlines the material into a teardrop shape with a steep, blunt end pointing upstream and a gentle slope trailing.
You can see similar characteristics with these islands.

Also Long Is., Big Canoe, and Dome Is. are oriented in a similar direction, wile Cleverdale, Rockhurst, and Assembly Points, and Diamond Island are oriented in a similar orientation.
I dont know for sure, but this could be from the direction that certain parts of the glaciers would flow over the land locally.
If anyone knows more then please chime in!

Long Island on Lake George
Near Cleverdale, NY.

June 3, 2026.

06/08/2026

To kick off this week, Ill share this shot I took last week of Hemlock Point and Boon Bay.
In this photo you can see the shoal that extends out from the point towards a mass of rocks. This is all remains of the famous Rush Island.
Unfortunately due to natural waves, powerful ice sheets in the spring, and constant boat wake during the summer months, this island has succumb to the power of the water and is now just a clump of rocks that lie at/just below the surface of the lake.

I couldnt find any information on how the island got it's name, but Rush Island, or "One Tree Island" as my friends and I called it, was a state owned island that sat here.
The island was super tiny, maybe only 20' x 15', if that, and supported a few trees on it. But in 1963 some vandals went out and cut down some of the trees that managed to grow on this tiny little island. The LGA acted quickly and brought up stones to help bolster the island's ability to protect itself from the ice and waves and some of the motel owners got permission to plant 2 small willow trees out on the island. One of those willows survived and in the 1990s had grown to be about 30' tall and was arguably had a canopy larger than the island!

By 1996 Frank Leonbruno had inspected the island and saw that it was in desperate need of restoration efforts. Unfortunately those warnings fell on deaf ears and nothing was done to save the island. Eventually the tree died and there was just a trunk of wood sticking up for a while before waves and ice finished the job. By the early 2010s the island had sunk below the waters and was officially lost to time, only surviving in a couple of old photos online.

Rush Island/Boon Bay on Lake George
Bolton, NY.

June 3, 2026

06/05/2026

Today Im going to share this panorama of Basin Bay that I snapped on Wednesday.
I had a meeting in Bolton that day and I couldnt help myself, the lake was so calm and still and the sun was perfect. Days like this you can really look down into the lake and see all sorts of stuff that you cant see during the summer when boat traffic is so incredible that the lake is just a giant wave pool.

Also in this photo you can see Cotton Point, Fish Point, Dome Island and Huddle Bay in the distance, along with Buck Mtn (2,330') and the other mountains along the east shore and to the north.

Now according to the AI overview on Google when I typed in Cotton Point name origin it says that it got it's name from the harvest of Cottonwood Trees on the point. Im not too sure how true this is since I could not find the page it is sourced from.
So if anyone knows the name origin then I would love to hear it!

Basin Bay's name seems pretty obvious to me!
Now that said, this is real, nearly 80% of properties in the Basin Bay area are on private septic systems.
Lake George is facing increasing algae growth from warming temperatures and increased nutrients entering the water from lawns or improperly treated wastewater from aging, failing or inadequately designed septic systems. This is threatening human health with organic matter, bacterial and viral pathogens, and feeding algae growth with excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, that can potentially lead to harmful algal blooms (HABs).

I know that the LGPC is inspecting septic systems, but please be retroactive if you can and if you’re a septic system owner then please ensure your septic system is operating properly and not leaking into the lake!

Hope that everyone has themselves a fantastic weekend!

Basin Bay on Lake George
Near Bolton, NY.

June 3, 2026

06/04/2026

Today Im going to share a shot of a spot that Ive been wanting to visit for years...
Jabe Pond!
In the distance you can see Friends Point, Anthonys Nose, and Lake George!

Sitting at an elevation 1,314' in the mountains, Jabe Pond is an almost 1 mile long, 141 acre, and 66' deep pond that sits in the mountains right above Silver Bay.
This pond is a famous fishery in Warren County where people come to fish the clear AA water for some large brook trout.

The origin by this name was figured out by Mike Prescott in his 2023 Adirondack Explorer. He found a decade before the American Revolution Samuel Adams (not the beer one) applied for and received a land grant of 500 acres on the shores of Lake George from the British Crown.
Now Sam Adams had a cousin, Samuel Patchin, who served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War. Patchin purchased the property from Sam and built a larger, log house on the site of the former Adams house for travelers, and continued operating the boarding house as Adams had done before him.

After the purchase of the property (in 1783) Sam Patchin had a son, Jabez Patchin.
According to Mike, Jabez was far more interested in hunting, fishing, and farming than running a boarding house. He made his way to a nearby mountain pond and established a small farm. Jabez eventually came down from his mountain farm and took over his father's property, built a cabin (that would later become the Silver Bay Association), then married and raised 10 children here. Jabez eventually passed away in 1847 or 1848.

So it seems that this pond was named after Jabez, even though the z was dropped.
You can also see the remains of an old chimney on one of the islands, which could possibly be the remains of a small cabin that was built by Jabez or one of his children.

I can wait to return to this pond and fish it some day!

Jabe Pond
Near Silver Bay, NY.

June 1, 2026.

06/03/2026

Alright y'all, so Im facing another quick post so I can make a few meetings this morning!

Here is a shot I took a couple of days ago of the rocks near the Snug Harbor Marina at the very north end of Lake George.
You can see the one channel on the left side of these rocks, this is the only channel for boats to move in and out of and it is JUST wide enough to squeeze a boat through.

But before the dam went up at the north end, this was where the lake ended and the La Chute river began!
You can see how far the lake has extended itself from this point to further north!

Well I have to run!
Happy Hump Day everyone!

Lake George
Near Ticonderoga, NY.

June 1, 2026.

06/02/2026

I have to run to a golf tournament this morning, so I will keep this brief.
1st world problems, am I right?!
lol

But here is a panorama that I shot yesterday of the very north tip of Lake George with the La Chute River and the town of Ticonderoga in the distance.

Now I didnt get this idea myself, I saw a similar shot that was taken by Adirondack Drone back on April 10 and I thought it was a really great shot and I wanted to capture something similar myself, but with my own flare on it of course!

I love studying great photos taken by either historical or current photographers. I love seeing what their eye captures and how they structure their photos and where they capture their shots. Doing this allows me to progress my photography skills and hopefully take better photos!

If you are not a fan of Adirondack Drone, I would absolutely recommend checking them out!

Well I gotta get changed, so have a great day everyone!

Northern end of Lake George
Ticonderoga, NY.

June 1, 2026

06/01/2026

Im heading back to Diamond Island on Lake George to kick this week off with the sun setting behind the hills to the west of Diamond Island.

Some of these hills back here are over 1,500' tall, but there isnt a hill/mountain named on the west shore between Lake George Village and Bolton that can be seen from the lake. Well there is one, Dixon Hill (1,518'), but it isnt even the largest mountain/hill in this stretch!
That is 10 miles with only 1 named hill that can be seen from the lake.
Kinda crazy if you ask me!

I looked up what it would take to name a mountain and honestly? I kinda see why lol.
To officially name a mountain, you must submit a formal proposal to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. This months-long process requires proving a compelling need for the name, such as standardizing local usage or improving safety.

Along with this you need to abide by some strict guidelines:
1. No living namesakes: A person must be deceased for at least 5 years before a mountain can be named after them.
2. Demonstrated connection: The proposed namesake must have a direct, long-term association with the feature or make significant civic contributions.
3. Local consensus: The BGN heavily relies on input from local residents, tribal authorities, county governments, and state naming boards.
4. Historical significance: Descriptive, traditional, and indigenous names are often preferred over creating new commemorative names.

Now there are some funny names of mountains in America. There is a Bloody Dick Peak in Montana, Rotten Bananas Butte in AZ, Poopout Hill in CA, Whiskey Dick Mtn in WA, and Grand Teton in WY (Google translate that!).
I dont think that any of those satisfy those BGN requirements, so lets bring that same creativity here!
I want one of these to be named Fraggle Rock!

Anyone else have any funny names for these peaks?

Diamond Island on Lake George
Near Diamond Point, NY.

May 17, 2026.
Would be nice if they relaxed the rules a bit in more rural areas!
A mountain named Fragle Rock

Address

Lake George, NY

Telephone

+15189328433

Website

http://www.lukedowphotography.com/

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