May 26 – Ithaca, NY

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

The Finger Lakes Region of New York State covers 9,000 square miles. It’s a wonderland of deep gorges, cascading waterfalls, sparkling lakes, and acres of forests, farms and vineyards. It includes miles of spectacular shoreline on 11 glacial lakes and one Great Lake. The 11 Finger Lakes from east to west are: Otisco Lake, Skaneateles Lake, Owasco Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, Keuka Lake, Canandaigua Lake, Honeoye Lake, Canadice Lake, Hemlock Lake, Conesus Lake.

The Finger Lakes are long and narrow, and mostly run north to south. The lakes' shapes reminded early mapmakers of human fingers, and through the years the name stuck. Cayuga (435 feet deep) at 38 miles long and almost 67 square mile in total area is the largest. Seneca Lake at 618 feet deep is the deepest of the lakes and among the deepest in the United States; its bottom is well below sea level.  

The lakes originated as a series of northward-flowing streams, but southward movement of glaciers from the Hudson Bay area widened, deepened, and accentuated the existing river valleys. Glacial debris left behind by the receding ice, acted as dams, allowing lakes to form. 

The Finger Lakes area is New York's largest wine producing region, with over 100 wineries and vineyards located around Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, Keuka, Conesus, and Hemlock Lakes. Because of the lakes' great depth, they provide a lake effect to the lush vineyards that border their shores. Retaining lingering summer warmth in the winter and winters cold in the spring (no wonder it’s still so cold here), the grapes are protected from disastrous spring frost during shoot growth and early frost before the harvest. The main grape varieties grown are Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, and Seyval Blanc.

As soon as it warms up a bit and the rain slacks off we’ll be visiting some of the wineries in the area and finding some of the waterfalls that are so abundant around Ithaca.

Wineries in the Finger Lake region