Queensbury

Located just east of the Adirondacks, Glens Falls North is an outdoorsmen’s paradise. The peak of West Mountain and the sandy beaches of Lake George are no more than 15 miles away, and miles of cross-country skiing trails weave through the community’s evergreen forests. “It’s outside the hustle and bustle of Lake George Village, but there’s lots of bars and restaurants,” says Daniel Davies, a broker with Davies-Davies & Associates Real Estate who has been selling homes in the area for over 35 years. The community sits just above the city of Glens Falls in Queensberry. While Glens Falls North is technically outside of the Adirondacks, it embraces the region's spirit with abundant green spaces that provide shade in the summer and sit underneath a layer of sparkling snow in the winter. Crandall Park is about 2 miles south of Glens Falls North. The green space features four lighted pickleball courts, a splash pad and a playground shaded by a canopy of evergreens. Across the street is the Glens Falls Recreation Ice Center and the Glens Falls Family YMCA, where membership includes access to unlimited fitness classes and free childcare for up to three hours a day. A forest of evergreens sits behind the YMCA, and there’s an access point to the Cole’s Woods trails between the trees. Cole’s Woods boasts the first lighted cross-country ski trails in the country, and the trail system attracts outdoor exercisers year-round. Anglers can cast their lines at Hovey Pond Park, where the Warren County Fish Hatchery stocks the water with bass and trout. Six Flags Great Escape is a bit further north along State Route 9 and is open seasonally from May to October. Residents can also join the Glens Falls Country Club, where the scenic 18-hole course offers views of Round Pond. Perhaps the biggest outdoor attraction in Queensbury is West Mountain, less than a 10-mile drive south of Glens Falls North. The mountain towers over Glens Falls and offers everything from night skiing and snow tubing in the winter to high ropes tours and mountaintop yoga in the summer. The resort also hosts various events, including an annual Fall Festival. The festivities celebrate the start of autumn with hay wagon rides, pumpkin painting and scenic chairlift rides that take passengers high above a canopy of vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. For waterfront recreation, the beaches of Lake George are about a 12-mile drive north via I-87. “The Sagamore Resort is located there, which is absolutely incredible,” Davies says. The resort sits on Lake George’s Green Island and features an 18-hole golf course, spa and plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Guests can fish off the hotel’s private dock, water ski on the lake or set off on guided horseback rides through wooded trails. In addition to its sports courts, Crandall Park is a destination for community events. Its bandshell hosts an annual summer concert series, and the Adirondack Balloon Festival holds its opening ceremonies in the park each September. The event is the third-largest balloon festival in the country and draws over 100,000 people to Glens Falls each year. Hundreds of hot-air balloons float high above the Adirondack Mountains, launching from Crandall Park and the Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport. Food trucks, live musical performances and private balloon rides round out the festivities. Homebuyers will find a variety of housing options in Glens Falls North. Residential streets branch off New York State Route 254, and most do not have sidewalks. Colonial Revivals, Cape Cods and sprawling ranch-style homes sit on manicured lawns that average just under half an acre. Many properties embrace the region’s natural beauty and feature backyard decks or in-ground pools. While most homes were built during the second half of the 20th century, there is some new construction mixed into Glens Falls North. Prices for single-family homes range from around $265,000 for a smaller ranch-style home to $600,000 for a larger Colonial Revival. Townhouse communities feature two-or-three-bedroom units, and townhouses tend to sell for about $230,000 to $300,000. Students attend the Queensberry Union Free School District, which Niche ranks as the best school district in Warren County. Queensberry Elementary School serves prekindergarten through third grade, while William H. Barton Intermediate School serves fourth and fifth grade. Older kids can attend Queensberry Middle School, and all three schools earn a B-plus from Niche. At the B-rated Queensberry High School, teens can enroll in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and take advanced courses designed to prepare them for college. The high school also partners with SUNY Adirondack to offer Early College Career Academy programs in four fields: Electrical Technology/Advanced Manufacturing, IT Networking & Cybersecurity, New Media Arts and Business and Entrepreneurship. The SUNY Adirondack campus is just northeast of Glens Falls North in Queensberry. With U.S. Route 9 running through Glens Falls North, residents have access to a variety of restaurants and shopping centers. Local favorites include Northway Brewing Co., which features an industrial taproom and an outdoor seating area lit by string lights. Spargel on 9 is a go-to for authentic German Food, while The Silo Restaurant and Country Store serves up comfort foods in a rustic barn. Big-box retailers along the thoroughfare include Walmart, Home Depot and Market 32. Just off Route 9 is the Aviation Mall, which features Target and Regal Cinemas. Residents can also catch a movie at the Glen Drive-In Theater, which has been showing films since 1958. More restaurants, shops and entertainment are less than a 5-mile drive south of Glens Falls North in downtown Glens Falls. Since Glens Falls North lacks sidewalks, residents are largely car-dependent. The community offers proximity to major thoroughfares like Interstate 87, locally known as the Adirondack Northway. The thoroughfare provides access to the region’s abundant outdoor amenities and leads about 50 miles south to the Albany International Airport. CDTA provides local bus service, and Route 411 connects residents to downtown Glens Falls – less than a 10-mile drive south. From June to Labor Day, the Greater Glens Falls Transit Summer Trolley travels from Glens Falls North to the sandy beaches of Lake George.