By Kerry Mastrobuoni
The best trips aren’t always the ones you’ve spent months planning. They’re the ones that happen on a random morning when you decide to throw a bag in the car, cue up a great playlist and head north.
That’s exactly what I did. I headed to New York’s Finger Lakes.
We made Montour Falls, just outside Watkins Glen, our home base, and it didn’t take long to understand the appeal. Vineyards covered the hillsides, wooded roads wound through small towns, and waterfalls seemed to appear around every bend.
One of the first places to experience it all is Watkins Glen State Park. Walking the Gorge Trail feels like stepping into a storybook. Towering rock walls surround you as the trail winds over stone staircases, through tunnels and across bridges, with waterfalls cascading alongside you and, in some places, directly above. The gorge is about 400 feet deep and features 19 dramatic waterfalls.
Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there are 832 steps along the Gorge Trail. Yes, you read that right—832. While you’re busy admiring the waterfalls and taking it all in, your legs may have a slightly different opinion. Don’t worry, though—your camera roll will thank you later.
And Watkins Glen is just the beginning.
The Finger Lakes are filled with gorges, trails, and places worth pulling the car over for. Buttermilk Falls, Taughannock Falls and Robert H. Treman State Park are just a few more to put on your list. If chasing waterfalls is your thing, you could easily build an entire getaway around them.
Eventually, those winding roads lead you back to what gives the area its name: the lakes.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that, as a lifelong New Yorker, I always thought there were only 5 Finger Lakes. Turns out, there are 11 major Finger Lakes, formed by glaciers as they carved deep valleys into the landscape thousands of years ago.
And they’re not all alike. Each lake has its own personality, surrounded by vineyards, farmland, charming towns, hiking trails and waterfronts. That variety is part of the fun.
Seneca Lake was a highlight for us. The largest of the Finger Lakes by volume, it reaches a depth of 618 feet, and seeing it from the water gave us a whole new appreciation for its scale. The hills and vineyards seem to stretch for miles along the shoreline.
Of course, where there are lakes and vineyards, there is wine—and plenty of it. With hundreds of wineries throughout the area, you won’t have to go far to find a tasting room.
We visited Castel Grisch Winery, where things took a wonderfully whimsical turn with its dinosaur-themed attraction. It was quirky, playful and definitely not what I expected—a reminder that the Finger Lakes aren’t all about wine and waterfalls. There’s room here for a little imagination, too.
That mix is what makes the area such an appealing getaway. You can hike beside a waterfall in the morning, spend the afternoon on the water, stop for a wine tasting and finish the day wandering through a small town.
Because sometimes the drive is part of the adventure.
The best travel experiences can happen when you leave a little room for the unexpected. Take the scenic route. Stop when something catches your eye. Turn down the road that looks interesting and see where it takes you.
For my nature seekers, road trippers, wine lovers and anyone looking for an escape without having to go too far, put the Finger Lakes on your compass.
You’ll be glad you did.
I’d love to hear from you! Share your travel tips, ideas and inspiration at Kerryscompass@longislandmediagroup.com. Until next time, always let your compass lead you somewhere worth remembering.
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