Lakes

Our lakes are old and natural, none man made. Native American legend explains the Finger Lakes this way: the Creator looked upon this land with special favor and reached down to bless it, leaving the imprint of His hand, hence, the Finger Lakes. Geology tells a different story, as the last ice age ended, the final glaciers covering what is now the northern reaches of the United States receded. The incredible grinding pressures of the receding glaciers gouged enormous holes in what is now the Finger Lakes region. These became not only our Finger Lakes, but also the magnificent geologic anomalies throughout the region that include our incredible gorges and numerous waterfalls.

There are eleven Finger Lakes ranging from 40 miles in length to an incredible 618 feet in depth. They lie within an imaginary triangle between Syracuse, Rochester and Elmira-Corning. Despite their huge presence, the lakes are only a part of our waters.

Across our northern tier lies a great lake, Lake Ontario, and the historic Erie Canal. The Canal enters the region at Syracuse and extends through Rochester. Once the lifeblood of a young nation, much of the Canal is still open for recreational use. The lock system, the engineering marvel of its day, still operates and the Canal System is lined with museums, biking and hiking paths, by-ways and a host of attractions celebrating a bygone era that will captivate your imagination. Enjoy the perspective from the water aboard a tour boat.

Protecting our lakes and water quality is an important priority in the Finger Lakes Region. The Finger Lakes—Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance fosters local stewardship of water resources through education, research and water quality monitoring, and implementation of pollution control measures in Finger Lakes counties. For more information about FL-LOWPA, visit www.fllowpa.org.

Ontario
"Beautiful Lake" Area 20,518,400 acres Length 193 miles Max. Depth 802 feet Width 53 miles Volume 393 cubic miles Elevation 243 feet Largest U.S. city Rochester Characteristics Lake Ontario is the smallest and eastern-most of the Great Lakes with a drainage basin covering parts of Ontario, Canada and New York. The lake is used for transportation of goods, recreation and fishing. Canadian cities
bordering Lake Ontario include Hamilton and Toronto.

Conesus
“Always Beautiful” Area 3,420 acres Length 8 miles Shoreline
18.5 miles Max. Depth 66 feet Max. Width 1 mile Volume 42.6 billion gallons Elevation 818 feet Largest town Lakeville Characteristics Small, quiet and pretty.
It is a source of drinking water for nearby towns and villages.

Hemlock
The only lake the white man named which refers to the native American word “Ohnehda” Area 1,800 acres Length 7 miles Shoreline 17.1 miles Max. Depth 91 feet Max. Width 0.5 mile Volume 28.7 billion gallons Elevation 905 feet Largest town Hemlock Characteristics Outboard motors are limited to under ten horsepower and access is allowed by permit only. It is one of the sources of water for the City of Rochester.

Canadice
"Long Lake" Area 649 acres Length 3 miles Shoreline 7.2 miles Max. Depth 95 feet Max. Width 0.3 mile Volume 11.6 billion gallons Elevation 1096 feet Largest town Canadice Characteristics The highest in elevation, yet the smallest of the Finger Lakes. Boats may not exceed 16 feet in length and motors may not exceed 10 horsepower. Access to the lake is by permit only. It is one of the sources of water for the City of Rochester.

Honeoye
"Finger Lying" Area 1,772 acres Length 4.5 miles Shoreline 10.8 miles Max. Depth 30 feet Max. Width 0.8 mile Volume 9.5 billion gallons Elevation 804 feet Largest town Honeoye Characteristics Small and the shallowest of the Finger Lakes. Its principle use is for water-based recreation.

Canandaigua
"Chosen Spot" or "Chosen Place" Area 10,558 acres Length 15.5 miles Shoreline 36 miles Max. Depth 276 feet Max. Width 1.5 mile Volume 445.5 billion gallons Elevation 688 feet Largest city Canandaigua Characteristics Mostly lined by homes, Canandaigua Lake serves as a public water supply for  Canandaigua, Newark, Palmyra, Rushville and the township of Gorham.

Keuka
"Canoe Landing" Area 11,584 acres Length 19.6 miles Shoreline 59 miles Max. Depth 183 feet Max. Width 1.9 miles Volume 390 billion gallons Elevation 715 feet Largest town Penn Yan Characteristics Y shape with a bluff 800 feet above lake level. The only Finger Lake with an outlet into another Finger Lake (Seneca). The lake serves as a public water supply for Hammondsport, Branchport, Penn Yan and Keuka College.

Seneca
"Place of the Stone" or "Stoney Place" Area 43,343 acres Length 38 miles Shoreline 75.4 miles Max. Depth 618 feet Max. Width
3 miles Volume 4.2 trillion gallons Elevation 445 feet Largest city Geneva Characteristics The deepest and widest of the Finger Lakes and the second
deepest lake in New York State. Has more wineries than any other Finger Lake and has frozen over only nine times since the beginning of weather recordkeeping.

Cayuga
"Boat Landing" Area 42,956 acres Length 40 miles Shoreline 96 miles Max. Depth 435 feet Max. Width 3.5 miles Volume 2.5 trillion gallons Elevation 382 feet Largest city Ithaca Characteristics Longest of the Finger Lakes and the lowest to sea level. This lake accesses the Erie Canal through the Cayuga-Seneca Canal which joins the northern ends of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes.

Owasco
"Floating Bridge" or "Crossing Place" Area 6,665 acres Length 11 miles Shoreline 23 miles Max. Depth 177 feet Max. Width 1 mile Volume 212 billion gallons Elevation 711 feet Largest city Auburn Characteristics Laid back and a good trout fishing lake.

Skaneateles
"Long Lake" Area 8,960 acres Length 15 miles Shoreline 31 miles Max. Depth 315 feet Max. Width 1 mile Volume 424.5 billion gallons Elevation 863 feet Largest town Skaneateles Characteristics Cold, clean water with shale base. Has steep hillsides at southern end and is the third deepest Finger Lake.

Otisco
"Waters Dried Away" Area 2,214 acres Length 6 miles Shoreline 13 miles Max. Depth 76 feet Max. Width .75 miles Volume 21.1 billion gallons Elevation 788 feet Largest town Amber Characteristics Ringed by small lakeside camps and homes.

Onondaga
"People of the Hills" Area 2,944 acres Length 5 miles Max. Depth 71 feet Max. Width 1 miles Volume 35 billion gallons Elevation 400 feet Largest city Syracuse Characteristics Originally known as Ganantaha, this lake - named for the Onondaga Indians

Oneida
"People of the Standing Stone" Area 97,000 acres Length 22 miles Max. Depth 55 feet Max. Width 5 miles Volume 370 billion gallons Elevation 370 feet Largest town Brewerton Characteristics The largest inland lake in New York State, is named for the Oneida Indians whose ancestral territory surrounded this body of water.