The route
This is a suggested first route through the Finger Lakes, built from the places already in the Old Route Retro atlas. The region is a country of long, narrow glacial lakes in central New York, lying south of Lake Ontario between Rochester and Syracuse, with the gorges and waterfalls at the lakes' southern ends. Every stop below links to its own place page, where the postcards filed for that location are gathered together.
The New York route shows the whole state, and holds every design currently filed under it.
The lake country
The heart of the region is Finger Lakes itself — eleven glacier-carved lakes running north and south, the longest of them Cayuga and Seneca, with the wine country strung along their shores. The lakes are the spine of the region; the gorges at their southern ends are where the water and the stone do something dramatic.
Watkins Glen and the gorge trails
At the south end of Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen is the region's signature gorge — a stone canyon threaded by a trail past nineteen waterfalls, carved by the creek that runs through town.
Taughannock Falls
At the south end of Cayuga Lake, Taughannock Falls drops 215 feet — taller than Niagara Falls — the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, spilling into a bowl of rock at the head of its gorge.
Letchworth: the western gorge
West of the lakes, Letchworth State Park carries the Genesee River through a deep canyon of its own — called the Grand Canyon of the East — with three large waterfalls along its course.
Gateways: Rochester and Syracuse
Two atlas cities bookend the region: Rochester on Lake Ontario's southern shore to the northwest, and Syracuse at the region's northeastern edge. Farther north, the Thousand Islands scatter across the St. Lawrence River as a long extension from the lake country.
Planning the route
This is a suggested route from the Old Route Retro atlas, not an official itinerary. Two or three days fit the lake country and its gorges comfortably — a day for the lakes with Watkins Glen, another for Taughannock and the western side, and a day more for Letchworth if you want the full gorge circuit. Spring brings the waterfalls at their fullest, fall brings the foliage, and summer is the lake season. Check current conditions before travelling.
The atlas's other great routes are the Hocking Hills, the Turquoise Trail, and the Kancamagus Highway — different country, same atlas. Every stop in this guide is a real page: open the New York route to browse every design currently filed under it.
How long does this route take?
As a suggested route it has no fixed length. Two or three days fit the lake country and its gorges; each place page stands alone, so you can follow any single stop on its own.
What is the best time to visit the Finger Lakes?
Spring brings the waterfalls at their fullest, fall brings the foliage, and summer is the lake and wine season. The exact timing of peak color shifts from year to year, so check current reports before travelling.
Which is the biggest Finger Lake?
The region's eleven lakes are all long and narrow; Cayuga is the longest and Seneca the deepest, holding the most water. In the atlas they are filed together under Finger Lakes.