Finger Lakes Headline News (2024)

FAQs

What happened in the Finger Lakes? ›

The Finger Lakes Are a Geological Anomaly

Miraculously, when the last ice age ended around 11,000 years ago, the grinding pressures of the receding glaciers gouged enormous holes into the land creating the Finger Lakes we know today.

Seneca Lake

The deepest of the Finger Lakes, bottoming out at over 600 feet, and the largest by volume. Seneca Lake is known as the Lake Trout Capital of the World and is home to the Seneca Lake Wine Trail.

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.

History. The Finger Lakes region is a central part of the Iroquois homeland. The Iroquois tribes include the Seneca and Cayuga nations, for which the two largest Finger Lakes are named.

— More than 120 years ago, a steamboat sank to the bottom of Canandaigua Lake and was quickly forgotten. That is, until a Canandaigua man spotted it on his computer, and then found it in the water. Now, he's sharing all he's learned about The Seneca Chief. As a kid, Scott Hill developed a fascination for the water.

Finger Lakes activities - including wineries, restaurants, and attractions - are open and ready for you to experience. We want you to Visit Confidently and we want to ensure that you will get the friendly, world-class service you have come to expect in the Finger Lakes.

The cleanest of the lakes is Skaneateles Lake, which is considered one of the cleanest in the United States and passes to homes unfiltered. There are waterfront restaurants to enjoy its crystalline lake views and designated swimming areas.

But even though it may be the largest freshwater fish species in the state's inland waters, its conservation status is threatened. Lake sturgeon can be considered an inshore warmwater species, making it relatively easy to catch.

The actual depth of carved rock is well over twice as deep, but it has been filled with sediments; there could be as much as 1000 feet (300 meters) of glacial sediment in the deep rock trough below the lake bed. Seneca Lake to the west is more than 600 feet (180 meters) deep at its deepest point.

Which Finger Lake is polluted? ›

Today, Onondaga Lake is a severely polluted lake.

Watershed includes that of Keuka Lake, which discharges into Seneca Lake at Dresden. High impact invasive species include quagga and zebra mussels, alewives, sea lamprey eels, and Eurasian watermilfoil. Lake Trout, Brown Trout and Atlantic Salmon are stocked annually.

The name “Keuka” comes from the Native American phrase meaning “Canoe Landing”, but the Seneca tribe called the lake “o-go-ya-ga,” which translates to “the promontory,” likely in reference to the bluff. Keuka is the only Finger Lake that exits into another one (Seneca.)

Millions of years ago, the lakes were northward-flowing streams that ran through a series of narrow valleys shaped like a V. Beginning about two million years ago, during a period known as the Pleistocene glaciation, sheets of ice crept south and buried those valleys under ice.

The legend goes “The Finger Lakes came into being when the Great Spirit looked upon this land with special favor and reached down to bless it, leaving the imprint of His hand.”

Millions of years ago, the lakes were northward-flowing streams that ran through a series of narrow valleys shaped like a V. Beginning about two million years ago, during a period known as the Pleistocene glaciation, sheets of ice crept south and buried those valleys under ice.

The Office (TV Series 2005–2013) - Jim Carrey as The Fingerlakes Guy - IMDb.

Water Facts

Seneca Lake accounts for more than 50% of water found in the entire Finger Lakes Region. On average, because of its length and extreme depth, Seneca Lake completely freezes once a century. The last reported date was 1912.