Visited in 2015
The Finger Lakes region in upstate New York is known for its eleven long, narrow lakes that resemble fingers stretching across the landscape. Renowned for its natural beauty, the area features rolling hills, waterfalls, vineyards, and scenic state parks.
We spent a long weekend visiting state parks, waterfalls, and lakes.
- Watkins Glen State Park
- Hector Falls
- Ithaca Falls
- Taughannock Falls State Park
- Cayuga Lake
Watkins Glen State Park – is one of the highlights of the Finger Lakes, featuring 19 waterfalls of varying heights within just 1.5 miles, earning it the nickname the waterfall mecca of the region. The park’s famous Gorge Trail winds through a narrow canyon carved by Glen Creek, where water cascades more than 400 feet in elevation over millennia. The trail takes visitors over, under, and alongside dramatic waterfalls surrounded by lush woodlands and striking shale and limestone formations.
While the waterfalls are amazing, Watkins Glen is beautiful in many other ways too. Lush forests rise above the gorge, creating a green, tunnel-like feeling along the trail. Dark shale and limestone rocks line the gorge, forming unique ridges and ledges that add to the park’s dramatic scenery.
You can enter the trail at the top or the bottom of the gorge. We decided to enter at the bottom (where the main entrance is located right in the village of Watkins Glen). We walked a mile up the trail to a point called the Mile Point Bridge before turning around and descending on the same path. Even though it was the same route, it appeared all new when seen from a different angle.
Hector Falls – is a striking roadside waterfall located along Route 414 on the southeast side of Seneca Lake, about 3–4 miles north of Watkins Glen. The falls plunge approximately 250 feet, appearing suddenly due to the steep topography and their close proximity to the lake shoreline. While parking is very limited and requires caution because of traffic, the dramatic view makes the stop well worth the effort.
Ithaca Falls – is an easily accessible and impressive waterfall in Ithaca, where Fall Creek plunges about 150 feet into a gorge at the edge of the Cayuga Lake glacial trough. The falls can be viewed from a nearby bridge, with trails leading down to its base, making it a popular spot for visitors.
Taughannock Falls State Park offers a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, and picnicking, along with access to Cayuga Lake for swimming, fishing, and boating. The park is home to the dramatic 215-foot Taughannock Falls, one of the tallest single-drop waterfalls east of the Rockies, as well as Upper Falls and Lower (Little) Falls along Taughannock Creek. We hiked the a trail that took us past the Lower Falls to a scenic overlook.
Cayuga Lake – is the longest of the 11 Finger Lakes in central New York. It is almost 39 miles long and has more than 95 miles of shoreline, with depths reaching about 435 feet. The lake is named after the Cayuga people, meaning People of the Great Swamp, who were one of the founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and originally lived around the lake.
Cornell University is located at the southern end of Cayuga Lake.
