← All destinations · North America

Finger Lakes

New York, USA · North America · northern hemisphere

SwimmingLakes & CoastlineWine/VineyardsHiking

Finger Lakes is at its best for wine/vineyards in June to October. Good but not prime in May. Crowds peak in July and bottom out in December.

JFMAMJJASOND
Swimming
14
14
13
13
17
64
88
92
70
13
13
12
Lakes & Coastline
9
13
13
23
69
90
89
90
91
65
10
6
Wine/Vineyards
14
15
16
47
67
91
86
90
94
90
37
13
Hiking
12
14
19
47
72
89
62
65
91
89
37
10
Crowds

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

Riesling country, and one of the regions that makes ice wine — the grapes are picked frozen, at night, between December and February

What the walking is like

Day walks to waterfalls and gorges — many steps, and the gorge trails close from late October to late May. Nothing demanding.

When not to come

Nothing dangerous — but winter means lake-effect snow and reduced hours at some wineries. It is a fireside trip, not a touring one.

Busiest

Summer, and mid-October for harvest and foliage together

With children

Minimal. Gorges, waterfalls and lake swimming are ideal; the wineries are the part children endure.

Where to stay

Geneva and Watkins Glen sit at opposite ends of Seneca Lake and both work as a base. Summer weekends need booking well ahead; spring and winter midweek needs a month or so.

Dates that matter

  • Harvest (September–October), co-peaking with the foliage around mid-October
  • Ice wine harvest (Dec–Jan) — picked frozen, usually at night
  • F.L.X. Summer Fest at the Glen (summer) — formerly the Finger Lakes Wine Festival

Walks

  • Watkins Glen State Park gorge trail — nineteen waterfalls in two miles
  • Taughannock Falls — higher than Niagara, and a ten-minute walk in
  • Finger Lakes Trail, day sections

The gorges are the draw and most are short; the Finger Lakes Trail runs 950 miles across the state for anyone who wants more.

Crowds, month by month

11724366510078412620

0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Wikipedia — Finger Lakes

See everything else at its best in Sep

Elsewhere in North America

Napa & SonomaBig Sur & MontereyOlympic National ParkKenai FjordsLake TahoeWhistler BlackcombChurchillFairbanks