The Finger Lakes Region from space
Map with the Finger Lakes labeled
The Finger Lakes is a chain of these 11 glacial lakes in the west/central section of Upstate New York:
- Cayuga Lake
- Seneca Lake
- Canandaigua Lake
- Keuka Lake
- Owasco Lake
- Skaneateles Lake
- Conesus Lake
- Hemlock Lake
- Canadice Lake
- Honeoye Lake
- Ottisco Lake
The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in America; both are close to 40 miles (64 km) from end to end, and never more than 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide. Cayuga is the longest (38.1 miles, 61.3 km) and Seneca the largest in total area. Seneca is the deepest (618 feet, 188.4 m), followed by Cayuga (435 feet, 132.6 m), with their bottoms well below sea level. These largest lakes resemble the others in shape, which collectively reminded early map-makers of the fingers of a hand.
Located near Syracuse is Oneida Lake, a large lake which is not included as part of the Finger Lakes and is sometimes refered to as the "thumb" of the Finger Lakes. Also located near Syracuse is Cazenovia Lake.
http://www.fingerlakes.org/ is a website dedicated to the area.