Finger Lakes

Nestled in the heart of Upstate New York, the Finger Lakes comprise a distinctive network of lakes, presenting a captivating bioregion. This locale has garnered popularity as a sought-after tourist destination. Resembling elongated fingers, these lakes gracefully stretch along a north-south axis. Notably, these majestic lakes, echoing the graceful curvature of human fingers, collectively form a natural wonder evoking awe and inspiration.

Of note, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake hold the distinction of being both among the longest and deepest lakes in the United States. Each spanning nearly 40 miles end to end, and never exceeding 3.5 miles in width, they exhibit remarkable proportions. Among these, Cayuga Lake boasts the longest stretch at 38.1 miles, while Seneca Lake commands the largest total area. Delving beneath sea level, Seneca Lake plunges to an astounding 618 feet (188 m) in depth, while Cayuga Lake follows suit at 435 feet (133 m).

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Maps - Photos - Videos

Caywood Point Road

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You can drive down about a mile to Caywood Point, then it's a 1/2 mile hike down a steep winding gravel emergency access road that is gated.

Friday August 14, 2020 — Finger Lakes

Scenic Vista

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Honestly I think it's a dairy farm that smells like silage 🌽 and cows 🐮 overlooking Seneca Lake but what do I know. 

Thursday August 13, 2020 — Finger Lakes

This year, a quiet summer week in Finger Lakes

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This year, a quiet summer week in Finger Lakes

Last summer was naturally a bit of a toned-down summer due to COVID-19 on my vacation, as social distancing was a necessity with no vaccine available at that point to make travel and exposure to strangers safe once again. But I actually kind of liked the toned-down week, staying in the same campsite and several days spent with my truck parked, hiking around the National Forest exploring the woods and having a few drinks while reading a book, rather then the go-go nature of so many vacations past. I also intentionally camped where I wouldn’t have good cell service, to keep off the phone.

This summer I can kind of want to do the same thing, with an emphasis on what I did last year that I found memorable – exploring new places and doing new activities. That doesn’t mean necessarily traveling long distances but instead just hiking trails and kayaking places I hadn’t been to before. There are some gorges in Ithaca I haven’t hiked, and several different trails I haven’t done. They call Watkins Glen “Trail Town”, at least in the downtown where the Finger Lakes and North Country Trail Intersect, there are many trails I haven’t done. If the wind is good and calm, I want to paddle up more of the shore of Seneca Lake, and there is much more time I want to spend at the Big Bad Indian Swamp observing the birds and wildlife and fishing.

South from the observation platform

Towards Seneca Lake

Big fire ? to close out the trip

Burnt Hill