Five Days in the Finger Lakes

Yes, I know the Finger Lakes are somewhere in upstate New York. But it wasn’t until April 2021, thirteen months into the pandemic, that I started seriously considering the region for a vacation. So many of my carefully researched travel plans had been cancelled, along with any social activity or physical human contact beyond my immediate family. But by May we would all have the vaccine; we could travel again!

A family vacation during Covid needed to check some boxes: a drive of six hours or less, primarily outdoors so we weren’t masked the whole time,  a vacation rental instead of a hotel, and somewhere we haven’t been. The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York checked all these boxes, so off we went!

I found an adorable chalet not far from Watkins Glen, which is a town at the base of Seneca Lake.  Tip: Once you find a place on VRBO or AirBnB, google the description to see if the house pops up anywhere else. The chalet I found on VRBO is owned by a couple who has multiple properties in the Finger Lakes region, and booking directly through their website saved me the fees VRBO charges.

Day One

Watkins Glen State Park

An early morning start gets us to Watkins Glen State Park by early afternoon. There we walk the gorge path through the nineteen waterfalls, and along the stream that descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs.

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We imagined tough hikes over rough terrain, but the two-mile loop around the gorge was paved, with stairs. Still, a two mile walk feels great after the car ride, and the ice cream afterwards feels even better.

That evening, we watch the sunset over our little piece of Seneca Lake.

Finger Lakes Day Two

Taughannock Falls State Park

We drive the 45 minutes around the bottom half of Seneca Lake to the southwest corner of Cayuga Lake, home of Taughannock Falls State Park.

We hike both the south and north rims around the Taughannock Creek; it’s about three miles. The centerpiece of the park is Taughannock Falls. It plunges 215 feet and is three stories taller than Niagara Falls.

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About three quarters of the way around we take the stairs down to the base of the waterfall for a family selfie.

After a peanut butter and jelly lunch by the lake, we drive east to the other side of Cayuga Lake to Ithaca Falls. It’s a quick stop; we’ve already seen the tallest falls and we are hiked out. We walk around Ithaca Commons, but it’s deserted on a June Tuesday during a pandemic.

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We hit the deli and market of a local farm and winery and get takeout for dinner, then enjoy the rest of the evening relaxing on the back patio.

Finger Lakes Day Three

Keuka Lake Outlet Trail

Today we drive west to Keuka Lake to bike the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail. The seven-mile trail runs along abandoned railroad tracks and two waterfalls, running from Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. We pick up our rental bikes in the town of Penn Yan. I do not have a stellar history of family bike rides, but the trail is paved and I’m fairly confident I can keep up without hurting myself.

We stop along the trail at small waterfalls, which provided the power for mills years ago.

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The trail ends in the town of Dresden, at the edge of Seneca Lake. We sit on the bulkhead and enjoy our second pb&j lunch at lake’s edge.

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On our ride back, we notice one of the ponds is teeming with turtles. I stop to quickly take these pics before I’m left behind.

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We rest our legs for a few hours that afternoon, and then head north up the west side of Seneca Lake. A thirty minute drive brings us to Geneva, New York, where we enjoy the lakefront before dinner

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Geneva is a more upscale area than where we are staying – think the Ritz vs a Hampton Inn. Even then, our jeans and shorts are dressy enough. We dine at Kindred Fare, a delicious restaurant in Geneva that satisfies carnivores and vegetarians alike.

Finger Lakes Day Four

Seneca Falls

Today we take a break from physical activity, and opt for history and sightseeing instead. We drive 45 minutes north to Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Admittedly, we go because I suggest it, but I could not be that close to this historical spot and not visit.

This is the Seneca Knitting Mills building; the town came into existence due to its proximity to waterfalls. For years, the water-based industries of mills, tanneries and factories thrived.

In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others organized the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention. As we walk to the church that now serves as the Women’s Rights National Historical park, we are standing on history.

This mural is painted on the wall of the church. The Declaration of Sentiments reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.”

I highly recommend the Historical Park, which is really more like a museum documenting the suffrage movement. Afterwards, we drive a few minutes to the edge of town to see the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. We have to settle for an outside view since it is closed to visitors due to Covid.

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Next we drive east around the top of Seneca Lake to the lovely resort town of Skaneateles. On the way, we drive through Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. We only see a few birds; the bald eagles who nest there were hiding.

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Skaneateles

Skaneateles is a posh village on Skaneateles Lake, which is one of the cleanest lakes in the country. We browse the historic downtown area, eat pizza in a gazebo overlooking the lake, and book an hour-long boat ride around it.

We cruise around the lake, which is surrounded by huge, multi-million dollar homes. I’m not close enough to get photos of the dream homes, but the lake is gorgeous.

On our drive back, we stop for dinner at Mac’s Drive-in Restaurant. This place is legitimately old-school; we place our order with a car hop, and she puts our food on a tray she attaches to the driver side door.

Finger Lakes Day Five

Lake Ontario

On our final day, we drive farther north than we have before – all the way to Canada. Well, almost. Chimney Bluffs State Park is on the shores of Lake Ontario. We hike the 1.3 mile bluff trail, where we walk on the edge of the United States.

At the end of the trail, we walk down to the shore, taking some time to skip stones. It takes work to find the perfect ones.

On our hike back, this tree tells us it loves us.

We eat our third pb&j lunch beside a third lake, and then head back.

Beer and Ice Cream

Seneca Lake is known for its wineries and breweries; the unique weather conditions of the Finger Lakes make for good grapes and hops growing. Since we aren’t big wine drinkers and one of the four is not legal drinking age, we haven’t visited any yet. But on this last day, when we are hiked out, it’s time for a visit to Climbing Bines.

This hop farm and brewery is five minutes from our rental home, and it’s simply charming. Bines are the stems of climbing plants, in this case, hops. We grab a beer flight and sit on the porch, enjoying the beverages and the views.

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While I rarely have ice cream in my freezer, getting ice cream on vacation is my family’s thing. Or gelato – we had it seventeen times over ten days in Italy! So when I discover a place called Spotted Duck Creamery, and it’s fifteen minutes from our rental home, we are on it.

There are actually ducks at Spotted Duck Creamery – many, many ducks. It’s a duck farm as well as a creamery, and the duck eggs are used in the frozen custard. I get my second flight of the day, but this time it’s a flight of ice cream. I forget to take a pic until we are finished.

This yummy treat is a perfect end to our five days in the Finger Lakes. We head home early the next morning. It had been a year and a half since our last family vacation, and getting outdoors (and inside a house that wasn’t our own) was a welcome relief to the stress and isolation of the pandemic. For five days, life felt kinda normal; let’s hope we get there for good soon.