Take a wine-tasting tour of the surrounding region's nearly 50 vineyards. During the autumn and winter, the lake waters warm the land and create a unique microclimate ideal for the grapevine. New York State is second only to California in wine production among the 50 states. Amish and Mennonite communities in the area offer a window into cultures that have limited their dependence on technology and reduced their impact on the earth's natural resources. At local shops, you will find a variety of quilts and wall hangings hand-stitched by Amish and Mennonite women. At the southern tip of Seneca Lake, the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen State Park snakes its way through tunnels, deep ravines, and cascading waterfalls. The Finger Lakes National Forest is 200 miles northwest of New York City. Nearby towns include Ithaca, Watkins Glen, and Odessa.

The 13,232 acre Finger Lakes National Forest lies on a ridge between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York State. Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton are all within a two hour drive of the Forest, which is easily accessed from I-90 and I-81 and State Route 17. Come explore and enjoy its history, natural beauty and many resource uses.

History

The Iroquois Indian Confederacy, later known as the"Six Nations," originated in the Finger Lakes Region. These native Americans were probably the first to use the area now in National Forest. White settlers moved in to farm the land after the Revolutionary War. By 1900, soil depletion and increasing competition from the midwest made farming in the Hector Hills marginal. During the Great Depression, the Federal Government stepped in to buy many farms, and help relocate their residents to better land or other jobs. Between 1938 and 1941, over 100 farms were acquired, and put under Soil Conservation Service administration as the "Hector Land Use Area." Early management emphasized soil stabilization and conversion of cropland to pastures for domestic livestock grazing. The intent was to demonstrate productive land uses that would also conserve the land's long term productivity.

In the late 1950's increasing attention was given to "multiple use" management. Administration of the Hector Land Use Area was turned over to the U.S. Forest Service. The area became a permanent part of the National Forest system in 1983, and in 1985 was renamed the "Hector Ranger District," Finger Lakes National Forest.

Integrated Resource Management

The FLNF is unique among public land areas in the State for its long practice of multiple use management. Under this system forest management considers how all resources and their uses interrelate, and manage them to provide a wide variety of benefits not common on other lands. They strive to do this in a way that will protect the basic life-sustaining capability of the land for future generations. Their management decisions are guided by the Forest Plan and the feedback from active, well informed people like you.

Recreation

The Finger Lakes National Forest provides plenty of "room to roam," with few restrictions on recreation use. Popular recreation activities include: