Finger Lake Region of New York Guide

Conesus Lake

The most westerly of the 11 Finger Lakes, Conesus Lake is located in Livingston County, 2 miles west of Livonia and 25 miles south of Rochester.

Physical Features

• Elevation: 818 feet

• Area: 3,420 acres

• Length: 8 miles

• Maximum width: 1 miles

• Maximum depth: 66 feet

• Thermocline: about 30 feet

• County and Town: Livingston County, Town of Livonia

Hemlock Lake

Located in southeast Livingston County, Hemlock Lake lies 25 miles south of Rochester. Hemlock Lake is one of the two Finger Lakes whose shorelines are virtually undevelaoped.

Physical Features

• Elevation: 905 feet

• Area: 1,800 acres

• Length: 7 miles

• Maximum width: 0.5 miles

• Maximum depth: 91 feet

• Thermocline: about 30 feet

• County and Town: Livingston and Ontario Counties, Town of Livonia and Canadice

Canadice Lake

Located in southwest Ontario County, Canadice Lake lies 30 miles south of Rochester. It is the smallest of the Finger Lakes whose shorelines are virtually undeveloped.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 1096 feet

• Area: 649 acres

• Length: 3 miles

• Maximum width: 0.3 miles

• Maximum depth: 95 feet

• Thermocline: about 30 feet

• County and Town: Ontario County, Town of Canadice

Honeoye Lake

Tenth in size among the eleven Finger Lakes, Honeoye Lake is located 28 miles south of Rochester in southwestern Ontario County.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 804 feet

• Area: 1,772 acres

• Length: 4.5 miles

• Maximum width: 0.8 miles

• Maximum depth: 30 feet

• County and Town: Ontario County, Town of Richmond

Canandaigua Lake

The fourth largest of the Finger Lakes, Canandaigua Lake is located 29 miles southeast of the city of Rochester. Referred to as The Chosen Spot by Native Americans, Canandaigua lies within Ontario and Yates counties. The lake is bordered on the north by the city of Canandaigua, and on the south by the settlement of Woodville.

Physical Features

• Elevation: 688 feet

• Area: 10,558 acres

• Length: 15.5 miles

• Maximum width: 1.5 miles

• Maximum depth: 276 feet

• Thermocline: about 35 feet

• County and Town: Ontario and Yates Counties, Towns of Canandaigua, South Bristol and Woodville

Keuka Lake

Located in the heart of central New York wine country, Keuka Lake lies 17 miles southwest of the City of Geneva. Shaped like a Y, Keuka ranks third in size among the Finger Lakes. The hamlet of Branchport is located at the tip of the lake's northwest arm and the Village of Penn Yan tips the northeast arm. At the lake's south end is the Village of Hammondsport.

Physical Features

• Elevation: 715 feet

• Area: 11,584 acres

• Length: 19.6 miles

• Maximum width: 1.9 miles

• Maximum depth: 183 feet

• Thermocline: between 30-35 feet

• County and Town: Yates and Steuben Counties, Towns of Penn Yan, Branchport and Hammondsport

Seneca Lake 

Located within Ontario, Yates, Seneca, and Schuyler counties, Seneca Lake lies in the geographic center of the Finger Lakes. At the northern tip of the lake is the City of Geneva, and at the southern tip is the Village of Watkins Glen. Seneca lake has the largest volume of water of the Finger Lakes.

Physical Features

• Elevation: 445 feet

• Area: 43,343 acres

• Length: 38 miles

• Maximum width: approx 3 miles

• Maximum depth: 618 feet

• Thermocline: 60 to 125 feet

• County and Town: Ontario, Yates, Seneca and Schuyler Counties, Towns of Geneva, Lodi, Romulus, Milo, Hector and Watkins Glen

Cayuga Lake

Extends northward from the city of Ithaca through Tompkins, Cayuga and Seneca counties. Cayuga Lake ranks second in size among the Finger Lakes, only Seneca is larger. Cayuga Lake offers a diverse fishery for both coldwater and warmwater species. Cayuga Lake has a shallow weedy area at its north end which extends south for approximately six miles and occupies 5,800 acres. The remainder of the lake is deep and supports a coldwater trout and salmon fishery. Many of Cayuga's tributaries also offer a spring rainbow trout fishery and a fall landlocked salmon fishery.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 381 feet

• Area: 42,956 acres

• Shoreline Length: 106 miles

• Length: 38 miles

• Maximum Width: 3.5 miles

• Maximum Depth: 435 feet

• Mean Depth: 181 feet

• Thermocline: about 70 feet

• County and Towns: Tompkins, Cayuga, and Seneca Counties, Towns of Covert, Fayette, Genoa, Ithaca, Lansing, Ledyard, Ovid, Romulus, Seneca Falls, Springport, Ulysses and Varick

Owasco Lake

Owasco Lake is located in Cayuga County on the south edge of the city of Auburn. Compared to the other Finger Lakes, Owasco Lake is an intermediate sized lake. Owasco Lake has a large drainage basin to surface ratio, this accounts for the high nutrient loading of Owasco Lake.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 712 feet

• Area: 6,665 acres

• Shoreline Length: 27 miles

• Length: 11.1 miles

• Maximum Width: 1.3 miles

• Maximum Depth: 177 feet

• Mean Depth: 97 feet

• Thermocline: about 35 feet

• County and Town: Cayuga County, Towns of Fleming, Moravia, Niles, Owasco, Scipio and Venice

Skaneateles Lake

Skaneateles Lake is the fifth largest of the Finger Lakes. It is located in Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga counties. Skaneateles means "long lake" in the Iroquois language. Skaneateles Lake is one of the cleaner Finger Lakes. Local communities draw their drinking water straight from the lake.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 863 feet

• Area: 8,960 acres

• Shoreline Length: 34 miles

• Length: 16 miles

• Maximum Width: 1.5 miles

• Maximum Depth: 300 feet

• Mean Depth: 145 feet

• Thermocline: about 35 feet

• County and Town: Onondaga, Cortland and Cayuga Counties, Towns of Niles, Scott, Sempronius, Skaneateles and Spafford

Otisco Lake

Otisco Lake is the most easterly of the eleven Finger Lakes and is eighth in size. It lies wholly within Onondaga county near the city of Syracuse. Otisco Lake is unique, as far as Finger Lakes go, as it's divided into two distinct basins by a causeway at the south end. The southern smaller basin is shallow and extremely turbid which contrasts sharply with the relatively clear water of the main lake.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 787 feet

• Area: 1,877 acres

• Shoreline Length: 15 miles

• Length: 5.4 miles

• Maximum Width: 0.75 miles

• Maximum Depth: 76 feet

• Mean Depth: 34 feet (north of causeway) and 6 feet (south of causeway)

• County and Town: Onondaga County, Towns of Marcellus and Spafford

Cazenovia Lake

Cazenovia Lake is a beautiful glacial lake in Central New York, but it's not considered one of the official Finger Lakes, though it shares similar glacial origins and shape. While the core Finger Lakes are a specific group of 11 (like Cayuga, Seneca, Skaneateles), Cazenovia Lake is located nearby in Madison County, known for good water quality and outdoor recreation, distinct from the famous lake chain. 

Cazenovia Lake is a medium sized heavily developed water body located in Madison County in the Village of Cazenovia.

Cazenovia Lake is a natural, freshwater, dammed lake.

Physical Features:

• Elevation: 1200 feet

• Area: 1164 acres

• Shoreline Length: 9.5 miles

• Length: 3.9 miles

• Maximum Depth: 45 feet

• Mean Depth: 22.6 feet

• County and Town: Madison County, Town of Cazenovia