Fruit Trees for Glens Falls, Queensbury and Lake George, New York

In the January 24, 2011 cold snap, NOAA's station at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury bottomed out at −30°F. The Glens Falls Farm station, about 180 feet higher, read −22°F, and the Conklingville Dam station near Hadley, at 808 feet, read −14°F. That's 16°F between the low ground and the hills, and it's why picking fruit trees for Glens Falls, Queensbury and Lake George comes down to where on the land you put them.

The map runs from Corinth and Lake Luzerne down the upper Hudson through Glens Falls and Hudson Falls to Fort Edward, east to Argyle, Fort Ann and South Bay, and up Lake George to Bolton Landing and Huletts Landing, with Warrensburg on the Schroon, across Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. Type your address in the box on the map to get the number for your own place, and the list of what we sell that has come through it.

How to read this map

The big number at any spot is its 30-year planning low, the bad winter night we'd plan a tree around. It runs cautious, so treat it as a safe number to plan for, not a promise of how often that night comes. The MFTC zone is that number in half zones, and the typical winter is an average year's coldest night, the kind of number USDA's map is built on. The spring layer shows how many degrees warmer or colder a spot runs than downtown Glens Falls on a still, clear night at bloom. It's the terrain pattern at full strength, so a spot can be middling in January and good or bad at bloom.

The middle of the growing ground plans for −31°F, the coldest 5 percent for −35°F or colder and the warmest 5 percent for −27°F or warmer. Downtown Glens Falls, the reference town, plans for −30°F (MFTC 4a, typical winter −13°F). The airport station hasn't read colder than −30°F since the 1995-96 winter, but it hit −35°F on January 27, 1994, and its own 30-year number is −34°F. The cold end is South Bay, the south tip of Lake Champlain, at −37°F, and Huletts Landing on Lake George at −36°F. The warm end is in the hills: Big Hollow, at about 1,530 feet west of Lake George village, plans for −23°F (MFTC 4b).

Why the map looks the way it does

Lake George drains north to Lake Champlain, and the Hudson, a few miles south, gets none of its water. The Hudson comes down from Corinth, over the falls that named Glens Falls and over Bakers Falls at Hudson Falls, to Fort Edward at 138 feet. East of there the Hudson-Champlain divide is barely a rise (the Champlain Canal's summit level sits about 140 feet above sea level), and Halfway Creek drains the lowland north through Fort Ann. So the heart of this map is a wide, low trough from Glens Falls east to Fort Edward and north to South Bay, 115 to 350 feet up, with West Mountain, French Mountain, Prospect Mountain, the Palmertown Range and the Tongue Mountain Range standing over it at the southeastern edge of the Adirondack Park.

On a clear, calm night that trough fills with cold. Most of a pool's cold is made right on the flats as the ground loses heat to the sky, and a wide, shallow basin can pool harder than a deep valley that drains. Within 3 miles of Glens Falls, Hudson Falls, Fort Edward and Fort Ann, the valley floor plans for −33°F to −35°F. The airport station, at 321 feet in largely wooded country about 3 nautical miles northeast of downtown, is the cold one: in nine big cold snaps it shared with the Glens Falls Farm station (504 feet), it read colder seven times, by up to 8°F. We haven't found a published reason the airport runs so cold, but low, flat ground is where a still night's cold gets made and stays.

Above the pool there's a real thermal belt. Spier Falls, down in the Hudson's trough at 390 feet, ran 7°F colder on the year's coldest night than Mount McGregor at 1,060 feet, 2 miles away (median of 23 years). On the map the benches 100 to 700 feet up within 3 miles plan about 2°F warmer than the floor around Glens Falls and Hudson Falls, and 5°F to 6°F warmer around Lake George village, Bolton Landing and Warrensburg. The belt doesn't always hold. When arctic air pours in on a wind there's no inversion and higher ground runs colder, and some mornings the higher station loses: in the January 1976 cold snap the Farm station read −34°F, 2°F colder than the airport.

The city holds some heat, since masonry and pavement store warmth and buildings hide the sky. The old Glens Falls Fire Station (351 feet, 1895 to 1952) ran 3°F milder on the year's coldest night than Spier Falls, while the airport runs 3°F colder than Spier Falls, which puts the two roughly 6°F apart, though the records cover different years. On the map downtown plans for −30°F, as warm as the warmest tenth of the growing ground within 3 miles, while West Glens Falls, on the city's west edge, plans for −32°F.

The Lake George shore doesn't read warm in winter: Lake George village and Bolton Landing plan for −34°F, Huletts Landing −36°F. The lake is deep and runs about 37°F in early January, but a lake shelters its shore only while it's relatively free of ice. It usually closes in mid to late January, ice forms first along the fringes, and many of the worst cold snaps here (February 16, 1943; February 18, 1979; January 27, 1994) came after the usual ice-in. The shore is also the bottom of a trough, with Prospect Mountain, Tongue Mountain and Black Mountain standing 1,700 to 2,300 feet over the water, and on a still night their cold slides down to the shore. NOAA's short-lived Lake George station kept just 9 years (low of −30°F), too few to settle it.

Downtown Glens Falls, South Glens Falls and Moreau

Downtown sits on the north bank by the falls at about 345 feet, on ground so flat (a 0.4 percent grade) that its own cold has nowhere to drain; town heat is likely what lifts it. It plans for −30°F (MFTC 4a, typical winter −13°F), and within 3 miles the floor plans for −33°F and the benches −31°F, so a downtown lot is about as good as it gets nearby. South Glens Falls, across the bridge, is the same: −30°F (MFTC 4a, typical winter −13°F), even with downtown at bloom. Here everything rated −35°F and colder has room, like Honeycrisp (−45°F), Empire (−35°F), Italian plum (−35°F) and Siberian C peach (−35°F), and trees rated −30°F, like Northern Spy and Contender peach, clear it with nothing to spare.

South of the river the numbers slip. Fernwood, along the Hudson and Route 9, plans for −31°F but runs 6°F colder than downtown at bloom, and Fortsville, on nearly flat ground in southwest Moreau, −32°F and 5°F colder. Palmertown Mountain, southwest of South Glens Falls, plans for −28°F at about 1,030 feet with bloom nights 9°F warmer, the kind of slope where apricots earn their keep. Down toward Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga Springs and Gloversville map covers you.

Queensbury, Glens Falls North and the subdivisions

Queensbury runs from the north edge of Glens Falls up to the Lake George shore. Glens Falls North sits on a bench 140 feet above its floor and plans for −31°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −14°F) with bloom nights 3°F warmer than downtown. Robert Gardens North and Whispering Pines Apartments, also 140 feet up at about 470 feet, plan for −31°F and read about even with downtown at bloom. The flats below hold their cold: Hidden Hills and Queen Victoria's Grant plan for −32°F to −33°F and Queensbury Gardens, down in a bottom, −32°F, all 6°F colder than downtown at bloom, and Regency Park North, right on the floor at about 300 feet, plans for −34°F and runs 7°F colder, the coldest subdivision we checked.

West of the city the land climbs toward the hills (West Mountain's ski area rises 1,010 feet in southwest Queensbury). West Glens Falls, Northwest Village and Bedford Close, at about 390 to 420 feet, plan for −32°F and run 5°F to 6°F colder than downtown at bloom; Sherman Pines and Kings Court, at about 470 to 480 feet, plan for −32°F and run 3°F colder. The Vistas, on a 17 percent hillside at about 556 feet, plans for −32°F but runs 2°F warmer than downtown at bloom, because its cold slides on downhill. The benches within 3 miles of the western subdivisions plan for −29°F to −30°F, so climbing off the flats pays.

Toward the lake, small, shallow lakes like Glen Lake (18 feet deep on average) freeze early and do nothing for you in winter, and their hollows collect cold. Paradise Beach, by Round Pond near The Great Escape, plans for −32°F and runs 8°F colder than downtown at bloom; Lake Sunnyside, −33°F and 8°F colder. Harrisena, along NY 9L on a bench 110 feet above its floor, plans for −32°F and runs 3°F warmer. Queensbury hamlet, on the floor near the Kingsbury line, plans for −34°F, 5°F colder at bloom. For most of Queensbury pick trees rated −35°F and colder, and −40°F on the floor, like Haralson (−45°F), Zestar!® (−40°F), Black Ice plum (−40°F) and Evan's Bali cherry (−45°F). Save apricots, pears and sweet cherries for Glens Falls North, Harrisena and The Vistas.

Lake George village, Bolton Landing and the lake shore

Lake George village sits at the south end of the lake at about 355 feet, under Prospect Mountain (2,018 feet). It plans for −34°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −17°F) and reads 1°F colder than downtown Glens Falls at bloom. Its floor plans for −35°F, but the benches within 3 miles plan for −30°F and the warmest tenth of the growing ground −26°F. Rattlesnake Cobble, on the slope west of the village at about 1,190 feet, plans for −29°F (MFTC 4a) and runs 9°F warmer at bloom.

Up the shore the flats at the water are cold and the slopes are warm. Crosbyside, on a 6 percent hillside southeast of the village, plans for −32°F and runs 1°F warmer than downtown at bloom, while Plum Point, at the water, plans for −33°F and runs 7°F colder, and Diamond Point, on the west shore, −32°F and 9°F colder. Joshua Rock and Burnt Hill, two low knobs a few miles northeast of the village, plan for −30°F to −31°F and run 7°F to 9°F warmer. On the Queensbury shore Cleverdale plans for −35°F (MFTC 3a) and reads even with downtown at bloom.

Bolton Landing, on NY 9N at about 366 feet, plans for −34°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −17°F) and runs 3°F colder than downtown at bloom; its floor plans for −35°F and its benches −29°F. North Bolton, 330 feet above its floor, plans for −31°F and runs 6°F warmer, but Riverbank, in a creek draw on Bolton's western town line, runs 13°F colder. Across the lake, Pilot Knob plans for −34°F and runs 6°F colder, and Huletts Landing, farther north on the east shore, is the coldest Lake George community we checked: −36°F (MFTC 3a, typical winter −18°F), with benches at −31°F.

So buy the slope, not the water's edge. A deep lake that's cold into spring should hold bloom back on its shore, but we haven't found anything that measures it here, so plan on the map's numbers. Along the water stick with −40°F trees: Haralson, Red McIntosh (−40°F), Kerr applecrab (−50°F), Toka plum (−45°F), Evan's Bali and Honeyberry (−50°F). On the warm slopes above, Westcot apricot (−45°F), Lapins cherry (−35°F) and Siberian C peach fit.

Hudson Falls, Fort Edward, Kingsbury and Argyle

Below Glens Falls the Hudson drops over Bakers Falls at Hudson Falls (Sandy Hill until 1910). The village, on the east bank at about 300 feet, sits 140 feet above its floor and runs 4°F warmer than downtown Glens Falls at bloom, but the winter number is less kind: −32°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −15°F). That's good ground for hardy stone fruit like Siberian C, Lapins and Westcot. Fort Edward is the river's low point, at 138 feet where the Hudson stops being navigable and where the Great Carrying Place to Lake George began. It plans for −34°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −17°F) and runs 7°F colder than downtown at bloom, the worst spring reading of any village we checked. Its benches plan for −31°F, so get up off the river flats, and keep the bottoms for apples, applecrabs and bush fruit.

Kingsbury hamlet on US 4, on a bench 140 feet above its floor, plans for −31°F and runs 3°F colder than downtown at bloom, and Adamsville, 210 feet up, plans for −30°F and runs 3°F warmer. The low ground is the cold side: Pattens Mills, right on the floor, plans for −33°F and runs 8°F colder at bloom, and Baldwin Corner, at about 160 feet, −35°F (MFTC 3a). Argyle, on the Moses Kill east of Fort Edward, plans for −32°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −16°F) and runs 3°F colder, while Barkley Mountain, just southeast of the village, plans for −29°F with bloom nights 9°F warmer. McWhorter's Orchard in Argyle grows Northern Spy and sells Spartan. Spartan (−45°F) clears anything on this map; Northern Spy (−30°F) wants Argyle's warmest slopes, along with Superior plum and Toka to pollenize it (our pollination maps show what pairs with what).

Fort Ann, South Bay and the canal lowland

Fort Ann village sits on the Halfway Creek bottom at about 160 feet: −34°F (MFTC 3b), 5°F colder than downtown Glens Falls at bloom, with the floor around it at −35°F and the benches at −31°F. West Fort Ann, on a hillside 190 feet above its floor, plans for −32°F and runs 3°F warmer than downtown at bloom. South Bay, the south tip of Lake Champlain in the town's northeast corner, is the coldest named place we checked: at about 115 to 120 feet it's the lowest ground here, and it plans for −37°F (MFTC 3a) with bloom nights 13°F colder than downtown. In the bottoms grow what's rated −40°F and colder: Wealthy apple (−50°F), Trailman (−60°F) and Centennial (−50°F) applecrabs (Ed Schultz saw zero winter injury on Centennial after a winter that hit −47°F), Bolshaya pear (−50°F) on any rise, and Montana Black Currant (−50°F). Over the line toward Rutland, the Rutland and Otter Creek valley map covers you.

Lake Luzerne, Hadley, Corinth and Warrensburg

Up the Hudson the towns sit 200 to 400 feet higher than Glens Falls and plan a little warmer than the lowland. Lake Luzerne, on the east bank across from Hadley, plans for −29°F (MFTC 4a, typical winter −15°F), and Hadley, where the Sacandaga comes in, −30°F (MFTC 4a). Both sit low by the river, though, and at bloom Lake Luzerne runs 6°F colder than downtown Glens Falls and Hadley 3°F colder. Their benches plan for −26°F, the warmest bench ground near any town on the map, and Danielstown, on a hillside at about 800 feet, plans for −29°F and runs 6°F warmer at bloom.

Corinth sits at about 600 feet where the Hudson cuts through the Palmertown Range at Palmer Falls; it plans for −31°F (MFTC 3b, typical winter −16°F) and runs 2°F colder than downtown at bloom, with benches at −29°F. Warrensburg, on the Schroon near where it joins the Hudson at about 745 feet, plans for −29°F (MFTC 4a, typical winter −15°F) and runs 1°F colder; around it the floor plans for −33°F and the benches −27°F. Up here the −35°F trees have room, and on warm ground like Danielstown the −30°F trees fit too: Harlayne apricot, Stanley plum and Contender peach.

Spring frost and bloom around Glens Falls and Lake George

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 medians put the last 32°F frost at May 11 at the Glens Falls airport and May 10 at the Farm station, and one year in ten it runs to May 26 or May 28. The first fall 32°F comes September 26 at the airport, for 143 frost-free days, while Whitehall (160 days) and Conklingville Dam (167 days) run longest.

On the spring layer the coldest readings are the lowest, most enclosed ground: South Bay and Riverbank 13°F colder than downtown (tied for the coldest spring reading of any named place we checked), Diamond Point 9°F, Lake Sunnyside and Lake Vanare 8°F, Fort Edward 7°F. The best are mid-slopes where cold keeps moving: Palmertown Mountain, Rattlesnake Cobble and Barkley Mountain 9°F warmer, North Bolton 6°F, Hudson Falls 4°F. Summits read colder again (Black Mountain's top 11°F colder), since they stick up into the free air. NC State's fruit people figure 3°F to 4°F can separate no crop from a full one.

The big recent one was May 18, 2023, a record late-May freeze across New York. Capital Region and Hudson Valley orchards were hit hard, with Hudson Valley apple losses of 30 to 35 percent. In 2016 an early spring pushed Hudson Valley McIntosh to green tip by March 16, about three weeks early, ahead of single-digit lows in early April. An early spring pulls bloom into weeks that still freeze.

Site comes first. Open blossoms of nearly every tree fruit start dying near 28°F (Michigan State's numbers), but only about 15 percent of apple blossoms need to set for a crop, and open haskap flowers take 19°F. So the frosty ground goes to apples, applecrabs, haskap and currants, and apricots, peaches, plums and sweet cherries go on slopes that read warm at bloom. Bob Purvis's rule is an east-facing slope, which warms quickly on a frosty spring morning, and a north slope holds early bloomers back. Don't dam the slope with a hedge across it, keep the grass short through bloom, and water a day or two before a frost night. The warm slopes are a still-night pattern and won't help in a windy freeze.

What the weather records say

The coldest readings in NOAA station records here: −38°F at Spier Falls (December 30, 1917) and at Whitehall (February 18, 1979); −36°F at the old Glens Falls Fire Station (January 5, 1904), which the National Weather Service in Albany lists as the official city record; −35°F at the airport (January 27, 1994); −34°F at the Farm station (January 9, 1968 and January 23, 1976); −30°F at Conklingville Dam (February 18, 1979); and −29°F at Mount McGregor (February 15, 1943).

Timing matters as much as depth: a tree that hasn't hardened off can die in an early freeze it would shrug off in January. Cornell's Eastern New York fruit program has written up fall cold injury on Honeycrisp, and Glens Falls has frozen as early as August 29 (1982). That's why we taper water from mid-August in zone 4 and colder.

Glens Falls winters warmed 3.1°F from 1951 to 2025, but the cold still comes, and our planning numbers include the January 1996 and January 2011 snaps. USDA's 2023 map puts the towns we checked, from Glens Falls and Fort Edward to Bolton Landing and Warrensburg, all in zone 5a (−20°F to −15°F), built on the average winter. The bad night runs well below the average, which is why our zones here run 3a to 4a on the low ground.

What you can grow here

Downtown, the upper Hudson towns and the slopes, −29°F to −31°F (downtown Glens Falls, South Glens Falls, Glens Falls North, Lake Luzerne, Hadley, Corinth, Warrensburg, Adamsville, Kingsbury and the slopes above Lake George). Trees rated −35°F and colder: Honeycrisp, Cortland (−40°F) and Empire apples; Bartlett pear (−35°F); Toka, Italian and Superior plums; Lapins and Gold (−35°F) cherries; Westcot apricot; Siberian C peach; Marquette grape (−35°F). On downtown lots and where it plans for −29°F or warmer, trees rated −30°F fit too, like Northern Spy, Montmorency, Stanley and Contender; elsewhere in this band they're worth a try in a sheltered spot.

Queensbury, Hudson Falls, Argyle and the lake slopes, −31°F to −33°F (West Glens Falls, the Queensbury subdivisions, Harrisena, Hudson Falls, Argyle, Fortsville, Crosbyside, Diamond Point, West Fort Ann). Trees rated −35°F and colder, with more room in the −40°F ones: Honeycrisp, Haralson, Zestar!® and Red McIntosh apples; Summercrisp pear (−40°F) on the slopes; Toka, Black Ice and Superior plums (Toka is a good pollenizer for Superior); Evan's Bali cherry; Westcot apricot and Siberian C peach where the spring reading is warm.

Fort Edward, Fort Ann, the Lake George shore and the cold bottoms, −34°F to −37°F (Fort Edward, Fort Ann, Baldwin Corner, Queensbury hamlet, Regency Park North, Lake George village, Bolton Landing, Pilot Knob, Cleverdale, Huletts Landing, South Bay). Trees rated −40°F and colder: Honeycrisp, Haralson, Wealthy and Red McIntosh apples; Kerr, Trailman and Centennial applecrabs; Bolshaya pear off the low spots; Toka and Brookred (−50°F) plums; Evan's Bali and Juliet (−50°F) cherries; and the bush fruit, Honeyberry, Montana Black Currant and Red Lake currant (both currants fruited well for us in 2026 after their flower buds saw about 22°F) and Nanking Cherry (−50°F). Trees rated −35°F, like Lapins, Siberian C and Italian, clear the −34°F towns (Fort Edward, Fort Ann, Lake George village, Bolton Landing); at Cleverdale, Huletts Landing and South Bay they're only worth a try on the best ground.

Roots are the weak link in a hard winter, and snow is their best cover. At Ed Schultz's farm in Gallatin Gateway, Montana, Bud 118 apple rootstock has seen near −50°F under snow with no damage. Keep snow on the root zone. Montana State recommends an uphill site on a 4 to 8 percent grade. Give trees at least 6 hours of direct sun, and test drainage before planting. The local troubles on record are spring freezes, fall cold injury and hail. Our cold hardiness calculator sorts everything we sell by the coldest temperature it has come through.

Questions people ask

What hardiness zone is Glens Falls, NY?

USDA's 2023 map puts Glens Falls in zone 5a (−20°F to −15°F), and Queensbury, Hudson Falls and Lake George too, but that's built on the average winter's coldest night. On the bad night we plan for, downtown Glens Falls is −30°F, MFTC zone 4a, and most of Queensbury, Hudson Falls and the Lake George shore is 3b. The coldest bottoms, like Huletts Landing, Cleverdale and South Bay, are 3a.

When is the last frost in Glens Falls?

At the Glens Falls airport the median last 32°F frost is May 11 (1991 to 2020), and one year in ten it comes as late as May 26. The latest in the city's official record is July 2, 1929. Conklingville Dam and Whitehall both have a median last frost of April 29.

Does Lake George freeze every year?

No. When it freezes end to end it's usually mid to late January (about January 19 to 25, depending on the source); the earliest was December 20, 1980 and the latest February 29, 1932. Open winters have become common since 1991, and 2024 had almost no ice. It matters because open water warms a shore and ice doesn't.

Can you grow peaches in Glens Falls?

Yes, with a hardy tree in the right spot. Siberian C has come through −35°F, which clears downtown's −30°F and nearly all of Queensbury, and Contender (−30°F) just clears downtown. Plant Siberian C where bloom nights read warm, like Hudson Falls (4°F warmer than downtown), Glens Falls North or Harrisena (3°F warmer), and Contender downtown, not in hollows like Lake Sunnyside.

Where are the frost pockets around Glens Falls and Queensbury?

The flat floor north and west of the city: Regency Park North plans for −34°F and runs 7°F colder than downtown on a bloom night, and Queensbury hamlet −34°F and 5°F colder. Lake Sunnyside and Paradise Beach run 8°F colder at bloom, Hidden Hills and Queensbury Gardens 6°F, and Fort Edward, down on the Hudson, plans for −34°F and runs 7°F colder.

Warmer spots, colder spots

Here's the number to plan for at named places on the map, warmest first. Each one is the 1-in-30-year low for that spot: the cold hardiness calculator's number from the same weather stations, sharpened by our microclimate model for the ground right there. Zone is our MFTC zone, set by that one bad night, not by an average.

The weather stations behind it

These are the long-record stations in and around this map, with each one's own numbers since the winter of 1995-96. The last column is this map's 30-year number right at the station, which won't match the station exactly: it's a blend of the stations around it, the way the calculator works everywhere.

Source: NOAA records through ACIS, winters 1995-96 through 2025-26. What the "carried forward," "gaps filled" and AWOS rows mean is explained in how our microclimate maps work.