The Fort
Walls, barracks and one of the country's great collections of 18th-century arms.
Fort Ticonderoga
A star-shaped stone fort on Lake Champlain, taken by Ethan Allen in 1775, whose cannons freed Boston.
The French built it in the 1750s to hold the route between Canada and the colonies. In May 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys surprised its garrison at dawn. That winter, Henry Knox hauled its cannons 300 miles by sled to Boston, and the British left.
It's restored and run as a living museum, with costumed soldiers, cannon firings and gardens by the lake.
- Best Time
- May–October
- Time Needed
- Half a day
- Cost Level
- $$$$
- Open
- About May–October; check the website
- Getting There
- About two hours by car north of Albany.
What to See
0 of 3 are freeMount Defiance
The British hauled guns up here in 1777 and forced the Americans out. Drive up for the panorama.
The King's Garden
A walled garden by the lake, a surprise after the guns.
Know Before You Go
- It's privately run, with its own tickets and a season of about May to October; check fortticonderoga.org.
Where to Stay
Stay in Lake George, an hour south, or the Adirondacks.
Where to Eat
Our picks are on the way.
Editor's picks. Nobody paid to be on this list.
Something wrong or out of date?
Traveler Reviews
Sign in and mark Fort Ticonderoga as visited to write a review.
Go Next
If You're NearbyLake Placid
New York
The village that twice hosted the Winter Olympics, and the 'Miracle on Ice', in New York's vast Adirondack Mountains.
Full Guide
If You're NearbySaratoga National Historical Park
New York
The 1777 American victory that brought France into the war, often called the Revolution's turning point.
Full Guide
If You're NearbyAlbany
New York
New York's old Dutch capital on the Hudson, with an unusual modernist plaza beside a castle-like capitol.
Full Guide
Last checked 2026-11-01. Part of the Northeast list.