Cayuga Lake Area
Print
Email
Save to Favorites
Trip Ideas
View This Map
--- Click to Enlarge ---
Explore Further
The longest of the Finger Lakes, Cayuga stretches out for 38 moody miles, 381 feet above sea level. It varies in depth from a few feet to 435 feet, and supports a wide variety of marine life. In shallow waters swim carp and large-mouth bass; in deeper ones, northern pike and lake trout.
Iroquois for “boat landing,” Cayuga was named after the Iroquois nation that originally lived along and farmed its shores. The Cayugas were called Gue-u-gweh-o-no, or people of the muckland, exemplified by the once-enormous Montezuma Marsh at the northern end of the lake.
Today, just south of the marsh, sits Seneca Falls, the small industrial town where the first Women’s Rights Convention met in 1848. Anchoring the southern end of the lake is Ithaca, a friendly cultural center that’s home to Cornell University, Ithaca College, and craggy gorges with waterfalls higher than Niagara.
Along the lake’s western shores are a half-dozen wineries; on the eastern shores, the historic village of Aurora.
© Avalon Travel and Sascha Zuger from Moon New York State, 5th Edition
Buy Moon Travel Guides
Search
Moon Travel Guides make independent travel and outdoor exploration fun and accessible. With expert and adventurous travel writers delivering a mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic travel advice, insider travel tips and an essential dose of humor, Moon Travel Guides ensure that travelers have an uncommon and entirely satisfying experience. Each travel book is filled with unique trip ideas, easy-to-use maps, and detailed information on sights, restaurants, and accommodations. Moon Travel Guides not only point you in the right direction, they inspire new ideas and adventure. Whether you are seeking a relaxing beach trip to Hawaii, or an adventure travel trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica, Moon guidebooks—and Moon.com—are with you every step of the way. Founded in 1973, the Moon Travel Guides series includes Moon Handbooks, Moon Outdoors, Moon Metro, Moon Living Abroad and Moon Spotlight travel books. Moon is based in Berkeley, California and is a proud member of the Perseus Books Group.