Finger Lakes, group of 11 long, narrow lakes, central New York State, lying generally parallel to each other in a northern-southern direction. The principal lakes, which range from 16 to 64 km (10 to 40 mi) in length and from about 2 to 5 km (about 1 to 3 mi) in width, are, from west to east, Conesus, Hemlock, Canadice, Honeoye, Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles, and Otisco Lake. Seneca Lake reaches depths of 180 m (600 ft). The lakes are situated in a region of forested rolling hills that is noted for its scenic beauty and vacation resorts such as Watkins Glen. On the sloping shores of the lake are grown fruits and vegetables, notably grapes for wine making.

The Finger Lakes, a major tourist destination in the west-central section of Upstate New York, are actually eleven in number, but only seven of the largest are commonly identified as such. The lakes mainly are linear in shape, each lake oriented on a north-south axis. The longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in America. Both are close to 40 miles from end to end, but never more than 3.5 miles wide. Cayuga is actually the longest 38.1 miles, but Seneca the largest in total area. Seneca is the deepest 618 feet, followed by Cayuga 435 feet, with the 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.

The Finger Lakes were modified by glaciers, but were not simply gouged out by glacial action, as often asserted. The present lakes were preglacial stream valleys or earlier lakes. Glaciers modified the terrain somewhat, but more critically: when the ice retreated, deposits left behind dammed the valleys, impounding water. The deep valley south of Syracuse, seen from Interstate 81, might have been another Finger Lake, had the glacier's recessional moraine been deposited farther north rather than at Tully, New York.

The Finger Lakes are situated on the northern edge of the Appalachian Upland. They now drain northward to Lake Ontario. The southern ends of the lakes are characterized by steeper hills etched by streams running toward the lakes below. Glacial hanging valleys, terraces in the descent toward the lakes, often end with waterfalls. Taughannock Falls, with a drop of 214 ft (65 m), is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains. Taughannock Falls State Park, Fillmore Glen, Treman State Park, and Watkins Glen are especially scenic examples of glens and waterfalls that have been incorporated into public parks. The glens of this region are unique worldwide. They are the narrow, rocky valleys carved by rainfall's relatively quick (10,000 years) erosion of the loose shale and siltstone of this plateau of nearly level sedimentary rock.

Most of the area was originally forested with oak, hickory, maple, chestnut, ash, hemlock, and beech trees, but the Iroquois maintained, by annual burning, the land between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes as prairie, with herds of bison, normally thought of as a western animal. Today the Finger Lakes area is still known for fishing and hunting. Winter sports are also popular, with skiing, snowmobling and ice fishing available.

The Finger Lakes area is New York's largest wine producing region, and the second largest in the United States behind the Napa Valley in California. Over 100 wineries and vineyards are centered around Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, and Keuka Lakes. Because of the lakes great depth, they provide a lake effect to the lush vineyards that flank their shores. Retaining residual summer warmth in the winter, and winter's cold in the spring, the grapes are protected from disastrous spring frost during grape formation, and early frost before the harvest. The main grape varietals grown are: Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, and Seyval Blanc. With the passage of the Farm Winery Act in 1978, countless numbers of wineries have opened their doors to visitors from all over the world. Wineries are a major growth industry of the region, not merely contributing to the economy through production, but increasingly because they attract large numbers of visitors who support other components of tourism.

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