Cayuga Lake Sunset Cruise
Cayuga Lake is the longest of the 11 finger lakes in New York State. The town of Ithaca is situated at the southern end of the lake. My friend and I joined Ithaca Boat Tours for their last Cayuga Lake Sunset Cruise of the season. We met the boat and our guide Susanna at the dock just before 7pm. Our boat was FULL, so I suggest getting there early to snag a desired seat. Also, it can get chilly out there on the lake, so bring a coat, some blankets, and tasty snacks & drinks!
We passed this beautiful willow tree on our way from the dock to Lake Cayuga.
You can see the cliffs and natural vegetation from the boat as we cruised on the lake.
Here you can see some friendly lake side residents waving to us as we go by.
You can see some homes nestled into the cliffs as well as the rare water front lake houses.
You can see a few other boats on the lake, but it was pretty quiet this evening.
I wore my cape to stay warm on this chilly September evening. You can read more about what I wore in the finger lakes here.
Another glimpse of beautiful lake side properties just after the sun sets.
Some equipment from the salt mine. The mine is located UNDER the lake! On rare occasions people have toured the mine.
Throughout the first half of the cruise, our tour guide provided a nice history of the lake, the local wineries, salt mine, and the local colleges. As we returned to the dock, we had time to relax and just take in the sights. You are allowed to bring your own food & drink, so we brought along a bottle of Rosé and a cheese & cracker plate! There are some complimentary sodas on board for passengers. The night of our tour was a bit rainy, so we didn’t have much of a sunset. It was the only night the cruise was running during our stay though, so we decided to go for it! If you make it to Ithaca and are looking for other activities, check out my here.
If you are looking for a place to eat before or after the boat ride, I recommend the nearby Boat Yard Grill.
Interested in a Cayuga Lake Sunset Cruise? Pin for later!
I love spending the day on a boat! Being around water is so peaceful. Those lakeside houses are absolutely gorgeous, too. Maybe one day they’ll be in my budget haha!
Lovely trip. Pictures are so beautiful too.
That boat yard grill sounds like my kinda place! What a lovely cruise!
Great idea about the sunset cruise! The views looked amazing. Is the cost still $15/person? How long was the length of the cruise? Saw a review on TripAdvisor but that was from 2015.
– Hanna
RatedbyHanna.com
it’s $25/pp for a 1 hour cruise and $50/pp for the 2 hour cruises.
Looks like a great way to escape the routine. Really like it
So gorgeous! Ithaca has been on my list forever and I really need to make it happen. I also really need that cape, so I’m off to find out more!
The Finger Lakes has actually been on my list of places I want to visit for the past two or three years. This post has resparked my interest in it! Maybe I’ll go this fall when the leaves start to change colors.
I love dinner cruises! I’ve been keeping an eye on the Finger Lakes for a solo trip away, since it’s not so far from home. I would love to do a dinner cruise if I get up there. It looks like a beautiful an relaxing evening. 🙂
A lovely boat ride with a bottle of rose and cheese, can’t say fairer than that! This sounds like a lovely way to spend an evening.
What a cute little cruise, what a great way to spend an afternoon.
We always love to do a boat tour when visiting a new place. Such a great way to see some different scenery! This one looks fun!
What a great trip! Would definitely try if I were heading to NY!
Def keep it in mind for your next trip!
I love me some good boat ride! This summer, we did a catamaran sailing tour on the San Francisco Bay and then spent an afternoon whale watching in Cape May. 🙂
I’m all about a sunset cruise! That willow tree is beautiful and the reflection you captured is fabulous.
It was such a beautiful trip, and just in my “backyard” about 4 hours from NYC. I never knew it was so beautiful up there.
Its amazing article. Thanks for sharing.