Western Finger Lakes
United States · Americas
About Western Finger Lakes
Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, and Keuka are the six Western Finger Lakes, part of the larger Finger Lakes region of New York.
Although smaller and less well known than the eastern five lakes, and boasting fewer wineries, the Western Finger Lakes have their own attractions. In particular, the spectacular Letchworth Gorge—the Grand Canyon of the East—features the Genesee River cascading over three majestic waterfalls.
Western Finger Lakes travel guide
Understand
The majority of Livingston, Ontario, and Yates Counties make up the bulk of the western Finger Lakes, which for our purposes extends north to the Monroe County line and the New York State Thruway. In the east, the land between Keuka and Seneca lakes separates west from east. To the south, the part of Steuben County north of I-86 is also included in this region. The western Finger Lakes are strongly associated with Rochester, which lies north of the four smallest lakes, near Lake Ontario—in fact, Hemlock and Canadice Lakes provide much of Rochester's water supply. Within the region, Canandaigua is the largest population center and the conceptual capital of the area.
Getting there
By car Three major Interstate highways serve this part of the Finger Lakes. Interstate 90, the New York State Thruway, is a popular toll road that travels between Albany and Buffalo, passing just north of the Finger Lakes and just south of Rochester. Interstate 390 runs south from Rochester and passes just west of Conesus Lake on its way to I-86 and the Southern Tier. I-86 is the Southern Tier Expressway; it connects the Erie, Pennsylvania area to the New York City area, passing just to the south of Keuka Lake. A number of well-maintained state routes traverse the rest of the region, mostly in north-south directions due to the direction of the glacial valleys. Take I-86, I-90, or U.S. 20 east-west first, then turn off onto the appropriate north-south route.
By plane There's no scheduled commercial service to the western Finger Lakes; for that, you'll want to fly into Greater Rochester International. If you have your own plane, or have chartered one, your best bets are Canandaigua Airport (just northwest of that city) or Penn Yan Airport (FAA LID: PEO). There are a number of private airstrips scattered throughout the region as well, but you'll need prior arrangements to land at one of them.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.