Speaker Heck Island - Lake George, NY - 7/23/11

My son Nick and I had a few hours before dark on Saturday night so we put the kayaks in the water at Harris Bay and headed north along the east shore of Assembly Point to go to Speaker Heck Island ( the day use picnic island, just south of Long Island).  From our launch point (a gravel pulloff on Rt 9L just west of Harris Bay Marina) you almost immediately paddle past the Happy Family Islands.  The western most island is large enough to go onto and enjoy a picnic.  Assembly Point has many fine vacation homes.  Out near the eastern tip is a very large "compound" owned by a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox.  You can see a Red Sox 2007 Banner from the water.

Steamship Lac du Saint Sacrement in Harris Bay during an evening dinner cruise

We carefully crossed the small channel between the tip of Assembly Point and Speaker Heck Island and pulled our boats up onto Speaker Heck to take a look around and go for a swim.  On weekends in the summer, you have to be especially careful of all the motorboat traffic as you paddle around.  Be especially careful in the open water.

Nick enjoying the paddle and the sunset

In two hours you can launch from Harris Bay, paddle to Speaker Heck, take a swim, enjoy the early part of a sunset and get back to your car.  It's about a 3.5 mile paddle roundtrip.  With more time you can paddle around Long Island, or around Ripley Point in Cleverdale and head towards Sandy Bay.

For tonight, our mission was accomplished.  A nice night's paddle and swim.

A map of our paddle (highlighted in blue)