Skaneateles Lake is one of the
Finger Lakes in central
New York in the
United States. The name Skaneateles (pronunciation: "skanny-atlas," preferred, or "skinny-atlas" common) means long lake in one of the local
Iroquois languages. The lake is sometimes referred to as "The Roof Garden of the Lakes" because its altitude (863.27 feet) is higher than the other Finger Lakes. It is 16 miles (25.8 km) long (17 miles long including the bogs at the south end of the lake) and on average .75 mile (1.21 km) wide, with a surface area of 13.6 square miles (35.2 km²), and a maximum depth of 315 feet. The cleanest of the Finger Lakes, its water is so pure that the city of
Syracuse and other municipalities use it unfiltered. The City of Syracuse spends about 2.3 million dollars a year to protect lake quality, sixteen people inspecting (usually twice a year) each of the 2600 properties in the watershed, which is relatively small, compared to other Finger Lakes.
William Henry Seward called it "The most beautiful body of water in the world."
The shores of Skaneateles Lake are in three counties:
Onondaga,
Cayuga, and
Cortland. The village of
Skaneateles (population about 2500) is at the northern end of the lake. Summer cottages appeared in 1881, increasing to more than 2000 residences around the lake in 2002. Generally new homes now are built for year-round occupancy rather than summer use and many summer cottages are replaced. The transient and seasonal population of this tourist destination and summer resort surges during the warmer months. Skaneateles is noted for its performing arts and amenities.
Skaneateles Country Club
The lake has long been popular for recreational sailing. Regattas with yachts from other lakes as well as Skaneateles began in 1847. The Skaneateles Country Club now has a boating center. The
Lightning, a racing dinghy, was designed and produced in Skaneateles, as was the
Comet. There are few marinas or other commercial facilities on the lake shore. Controls are stringent, because the lake is a source of water for the City of Syracuse. There is a New York state public boat launch site located on the west side of the lake just south of the Skaneateles Country Club marina. The town of Spafford has a public boat launch near Borodino on the east side of the lake about four miles south of the Skaneateles Sailing Club. Glen Haven, at the head of the lake (The Finger Lakes flow South to North), offers a marina and docking. Cruises are available from the village. A mailboat serving cottages along the lake also carries passengers.
Wooden Boat Show
Landmarks and scenic features appear around the lake. Many historic buildings enhance the village of
Skaneateles. Carpenter's Falls are in a nature preserve accessible to the public near New Hope on the west side of the lake, where the New Hope Mill likewise may be visited. The southern end of the lake, bounded by high hills (below, right) differs in character from the north.
Glen Haven, a hamlet located there, once featured a large resort hotel but now offers smaller visitor accommodations and seasonal dining. On the west side, the high Town of
Niles, New York provides scenic prospects. On the east side, the high Town of
Spafford, New York offers panoramic views (above, right, and link below). Between these towns lies deep Glen Haven valley in the Town of
Scott, New York, in the third county. A splendid framed vista from Glen Haven northward up Skaneateles Lake appears in the
Scott, New York article, with views of other towns appearing their respective articles. The hamlet of
Borodino in Spafford retains an 1830 church, little altered, in the Federal style and noted as a center of the abolitionist movement where Frederick Douglas spoke.
Skaneateles Lake from the north shore looking south.
Skaneateles Lake is separated from two other nearby Finger Lakes,
Otisco and
Owasco, by ridges some 600 feet above the waters, affording magnificent prospects on both sides. Much of the highland terrain is forested, with several large public preserves. Once more cultivated, this region was known for the
teasel industry until 1930. Teasels were employed commercially by woolen mills to raise the nap on the material. Although some dairy farms remain in the highlands, occasionally remaining in the same family after many generations, much of the land no longer serves agriculture. There is some experimention with introduction of vineyards, which have proved so successful on the more western
Finger Lakes. Skaneateles Lake, however, at elevation 863 feet, may offer a less salubrious microclimate than larger, deeper and lower lakes, like
Cayuga Lake, at elevation 382 feet.
A large die-off of bass in the spring of 2007 was later confirmed to be due to
viral hemorrhagic septicema (VHS), a virus-caused fish disease that has killed millions of fish in the Great Lakes since its presence was noticed in the region in 2005.
[1] This is the second of the Finger Lakes found to be contaminated with the virus, after its presence was detected in the westernmost of the Finger Lakes,
Conesus Lake, in 2006.
[2] The virus and disease are not a threat to human health, but the state of New York is working to slow its spread to other lakes. New state bait regulations were announced on
June 6,
2007, aimed at curbing the spread of VHS.
[3] VHS can be spread between bodies of water through live or frozen bait fish, roe, live wells, and ballast water, among other ways. Boats and fishing equipment should be disinfected before transfer from Skaneateles Lake to other
bodies of water.
Friesen's 5K Run With the Canes 2009Sunday, August 309:00 a.m., RBC Center,
