Cayuga Lake

Cayuga Lake details:

• Length: 39 miles
• Maximum width: 1.75 miles
• Maximum depth: 435 feet
• Average depth: 181 feet
• Major cities and towns: Ithaca, Seneca Falls, Aurora

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Which Finger Lake is the longest?

If you want a ranking of the Finger Lakes by length, the leader of the pack is Cayuga Lake - but only by a slight slide of the glacier. Cayuga Lake measures in at 40 miles long - beating out Seneca Lake by only 1 mile! 

However, Cayuga Lake misses out on deepest by 183 feet, with its max depth at 435 feet, following Seneca's 618 foot depth. But hey, they both had the same spectacular beginning: being carved out by the Laurentide Ice Sheet 10,000 years ago.

It was that same glacier that cleaved the surrounding hillsides, encouraging plentiful gorges and waterfalls for you to explore, as the waters followed gravity down into the valleys. 

Measuring in as the longest Finger Lake, Cayuga's got some fantastic natural and human history. You won't want to miss Seneca Falls, the birthplace of women's rights, at the lake's northern end.  At its southern end, Ithaca, home of Cornell University, houses many of the gorges and waterfalls we all love to play in.

Cayuga is surrounded by numerous state parks, state forests, and wildlife management areas for exploring - plus there's all the fun you can have on the waters of the lake. 

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How did Cayuga Lake get its name?

“Where did Cayuga Lake get its name and what does it mean?” you ask?

Have you ever heard of the Iroquois Nation, or the Six Nations? Prior to European colonization in the late 1700’s, six of the indigenous nations came together in attempts to maintain peace across the northeastern part of the continent. One of those six nations was the Cayuga Nation, which lived distributed around Cayuga Lake.

When Europeans arrived, they named the lake after the nation. There are a few disputes about what the peoples of the Six Nations (also called the Haudenosaunee) called the lake. Two possibilities include “boat landing” or “clear water.” 

Either option makes sense, so whether you want to call it “boat landing” or “clear water,” Cayuga Lake is both an amazing boating spot and giver of clear water. Come to experience the beauty, peace, exhilaration, and history of the longest of New York's Finger Lakes - Cayuga.

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Things to do while visiting Cayuga Lake

So, you wanna visit Cayuga Lake?

Cayuga Lake is known for being the longest lake, having amazing fishing, and an abundance of gorges and waterfalls. I don't blame you for wanting to come here. Even though I live locally, I'm planning my next trip too!

To find out more about the following activities on Cayuga Lake, just click on the link. I suggest you try them all - because you just never know what kind of good stuff you might miss out on if you don't!

Boating

Hiking

Paddling

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