The 9,000-square-mile region between Rochester and Syracuse in Upstate New York known as the Finger Lakes is a stunning landscape of scenic gorges, cascading waterfalls and glacial lakes.
Nature enthusiasts will savor the region's variety of state parks like Watkins Glen State Park, nature preserves like Montezuma Wildlife Refuge and Finger Lakes National Forest, with more than 30 miles of interconnecting hiking trails. But there's more to the Finger Lakes than meandering nature trails.
In addition to spectacular scenery, Mother Nature long ago bestowed upon the Finger Lakes region the perfect combination of geology, topography and climate, producing a far different assortment of trails. And while these trails don't require hiking boots and heavy backpacks, they do favor an adventurous palate.
The oldest and most prevalent of these trails are those made of wine. Specializing in vinifera grapes and best known for its exceptional Rieslings, the Finger Lakes region is one of the finest wine-producing regions in the world with more than 50 member wineries joining to create three distinct wine trails.
Fox Run Vineyards
Seneca Lake Wine Trail, the largest of the three, incorporates 35 wineries-including award-winning Fox Run and Torrey Ridge Vineyards-one distillery, two cider producers, two breweries and one meadery. In addition to fruit and grape wines, Earl Estates Winery and Meadery offers four different types of mead (honey wine), while Miles Wine Cellars serves up the spectacular Seneca Lake scenery from a renovated, and some say haunted, farmhouse-tasting room originally built in 1802.
Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, the country's first organized and longest running wine trail, consists of 16 wineries, one cidery, one meadery and four distilleries. Setting them apart from the rest, the Cayuga wineries boast a combined total of more than 5,000 national and international medals. Member wineries include the most scenic of Finger Lake wineries, Buttonwood Grove; Winery of the Year four years in a row, Swedish Hill Winery; and the trail's veteran vineyard, 40-year-old Hosmer Winery.
Taughannock Falls State Park in Ulysses, NY
And with a story that stretches back to 1860, the eight family-owned wineries of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail offer a rich history alongside the most diverse group of wineries in the region. The diversity includes ice wine from Hunt Country Vineyards, Black Russian Red wine from McGregor Vineyard, and six different cool-climate Rieslings from Heron Hill Winery.
But the Finger Lakes trails are not reserved for wine aficionados alone. The Finger Lake Beer Trail, with more than 75 craft breweries, is building a forceful presence alongside the region's wineries and brewing some unique and refreshing flavors representative of the area. Founded in 2011 and modeled after the wine trails, the Finger Lakes Beer Trail showcases distinctive microbreweries and brewpubs spanning a nearly 210-mile range from Rochester to Syracuse and south to Corning and Binghamton.
Lucifer Falls Robert H. Treman State Park
The trail offers suggested itineraries to help visitors navigate the likes of the two-man nanobrewery Aurora Ale & Lager Co., brewing "curious styles" like smoked porters and bourbon barrel-aged stouts; farm breweries like Climbing Bines Craft Ale Company, specializing in small batch, hand-crafted ales brewed on site with estate-grown hops and barley; and Genesee Brew House, with a history reaching back to one of the largest and oldest continually operating American breweries-the Genesee Brewing Company.
And just when you think it's all grapes and hops for Finger Lakes trail-goers, the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail offers visitors a taste of the fresh, artisanal cheeses produced by the regions family farms. The trail includes 11 farms like Muranda Cheese Company, with 15 varieties of cheddar-based raw-milk cheese; 4 Tin Fish Farm, a micro goat dairy; and Sunset View Creamery, home to the annual Finger Lakes Cheese Festival.
Still, if wine, beer and cheese trails aren't enough, the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance is working to create a museum trail, taking advantage of the region's abundant collection of enlightening and entertaining museums for aviation enthusiasts, New York state history buffs, and visitors attracted to the region's contribution to women's suffrage and the underground railroad.
So, visit the Finger Lakes for the natural beauty that abounds, but don't linger in the backcountry for too long. Instead, set out on a journey through the region's more savory trails. Your taste buds (and your feet) will thank you.
At Top:Rainbow Falls in Watkins Glen State Park
