Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway

Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway loops 87 miles around Cayuga Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region, home to the nation's first organized wine trail. Designated a New York State Scenic Byway in 2002, the route circles the longest of the Finger Lakes and connects the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, established in 1983 and still the oldest continuously operating wine trail in the country. Fifteen member wineries, along with a cidery, a meadery, and several distilleries, line the shoreline roads, producing wine that has collected more than 6,000 national and international medals over the decades. Taughannock Falls, at 215 feet some 33 feet taller than Niagara Falls and the tallest free-falling waterfall in the Northeast, drops into a gorge just off the byway's western side. A parallel Blueway Trail offers a dozen public paddling access points for kayakers and canoeists who want to see the lake from the water rather than the road. Small lakeside towns, working vineyards, and rolling hills define most of the drive, with wine tasting as much a part of the route as the scenery.

• 87-mile loop around Cayuga Lake
• oldest wine trail in the US (est. 1983)
• 15 member wineries
• Taughannock Falls (215 ft)
• Blueway Trail paddling access
• designated NYS byway 2002