Trails, docks, farms, markets.

215-foot waterfall — taller than Niagara. The gorge trail walks you straight to the base in 0.75 mi flat; the north-rim trail is the overlook. Marina and lakefront beach on the water side. Park by 10 AM in summer or use the overflow lot.

Twelve waterfalls along Enfield Glen. The Lower Park swimming hole at the base of Lucifer Falls is open in summer — lifeguarded, cold, and worth the walk. The Gorge Trail is closed in winter; the Rim Trail stays open.

Ten cascades stacked over a half-mile gorge. The natural pool at the base of the first falls is the in-town swim — walking distance from south Ithaca. Rim Trail on one side, Gorge Trail on the other; loop it.

The walk from downtown Ithaca up through Cornell — stone steps along the gorge, six waterfalls in under a mile. Free, urban, restored in 2013. Start at the Commons end and climb; take the bus back down if the knees don't want the descent.

At the head of Cayuga — public beach, carousel, sprawling playground, and one of the great Finger Lakes vantage points. Where the Cayuga Lake Triathlon swim starts every August. Free, year-round, and the sunset picnic spot on the south end.

Small, quiet east-shore state park with a four-lane boat launch, sandy swim area, and 4.5 miles of trail. The sunset side of the day-use parks — Aurora village a mile north for dinner after.

North-end camping and boat launch, with the campground sitting on the lake — drive-up tent sites with water glimpses. Family-rate park, less polished than Taughannock, and the cheaper base for a Seneca Falls history stop.

Lansing's town park on the east shore — marina, public boat launch, small swim beach. Less polished than the state parks, which is the point. The locals' park north of Ithaca. Playground shaded through the afternoon.

The only national forest in New York State — 16,000 acres of trails, ponds, and grazing land on the ridge between Cayuga and Seneca. Interloken Trail runs the length; horse and mountain bike allowed. The day-trip from either lake.

4,300 acres of formal gardens, arboretum, and woodland trails on Cornell's campus. Free, walkable dawn to dusk, year-round. The contemplative half-day when the gorges are booked out and the wine trail is too much.

Union Springs village waterfront park — launch, docks, and the closest view of Frontenac Island (Cayuga's only island, and off-limits). Kayak put-in for the northeast corner of the lake.

Oldest commercial goat dairy in the Northeast — the Cayuga Blue is in restaurants from New York to Chicago. The cheese-shop pour flight is the better visit than the wine; Cave-aged Cayuga Blue is the marquee.

Raw-milk aged cheeses from a single Burdett herd. Visit the farm on Saturday mornings only — that's when the shop opens and when the cheesemaker is around to answer questions. Bring cash.

Organic dry beans and grains from Brooktondale. The black turtle beans are on every farm-to-table menu in Ithaca. Order online or find the bags at Greenstar and the Ithaca Farmers Market.

Wood-fired sourdough from a 1930s brick oven in Trumansburg — delivered by bike-and-truck route rather than a storefront. Find the loaves at the Ithaca Farmers Market on Saturdays and at Greenstar during the week.

CSA box on bicycle delivery in Ithaca — one of the longest-running organic vegetable operations in the watershed. Ithaca Farmers Market Saturday stall is the way in without a CSA membership.

Forty-acre farm animal sanctuary on the ridge above the west shore. Hosts a handful of agritourism cabins overlooking Cayuga — the stay is the visit; day-trippers aren't the model. Book direct.

Certified-organic grain and vegetable farm in King Ferry with an on-site farm store and a seasonal farmstand. Ancient-grain flour, dry beans, and the vegetables that don't leave the county. Open Fridays and Saturdays in season.

Auburn farm stand and market — produce, homemade jams and jellies, and the seasonal apple lineup in fall. The north-end farm stop that isn't a farmers market.

Farm market and orchard in the village of Cayuga — apples, cider, and local products. September through November is the season; call ahead in October for the u-pick weekends.

Roadside produce stand near Union Springs — sweet corn, tomatoes, and the honor-system fruit boxes that define a Route 90 summer drive. Cash box on the counter; drop what you owe.

Aurora village cafe and market — coffee, pastries, desserts, take-home meals, and craft beer. The stock-the-cottage stop when you've just checked in and don't want to drive back to Ithaca for groceries.

At Steamboat Landing on the inlet — Saturdays year-round, Sundays April through October. The pavilion over the water is the destination as much as the produce. Arrive by boat if you can. Wide Awake Bakery, Stick and Stone, and Cayuga Pure all set up here.

Wednesday-afternoon community market on Main Street — smaller and more concentrated than Ithaca. Local produce, baked goods, and the crafts that Trumansburg residents actually make. May through October.

City-run market with local produce, meats, and prepared foods — Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in season. The north-end market that isn't Seneca Falls, with a serious meat vendor rotation.

Indoor market inside the Equal Rights Heritage Center — NY-made food, wine, cider, and pantry goods under one roof. Rainy-day fallback and a legitimate provision stop before you drive into the wine trail.

Weekly seasonal market at the Southern Cayuga Community Center — small, east-shore, and stocked from the King Ferry and Aurora farms. The alternative to driving to Ithaca on a Saturday.

Largest inland marina in New York State — 386 slips, three paved ramps, fuel dock. Home dock of the MV Teal and departure point for Discover Cayuga Lake cruises. The cheapest public launch on the south end.

West-shore DEC launch midway up the lake — two-lane concrete ramp off NY-89, the alternative when Taughannock's parking is full. Captain Jim's Wine Cruises departs from here; Cayuga Lake Boat Rentals stages here.

West shore, two-lane launch right under the falls overlook. Mid-lake position makes it the most popular west-side put-in — arrive early on any July weekend or take the Dean's Cove backup.

Four-lane hard-surface ramp off NY-90, one mile south of Aurora village. East-shore launch with the shortest walk to a swim beach for the kids afterward. Trailer parking rarely fills.

Seasonal slips, dry dockage, and a day-use launch on the east shore in Lansing. The locals' marina north of Ithaca — parking for 35 trailers, and closer to the mid-lake water than the Ithaca ramps.

Public and private cruises departing Allan H. Treman State Marine Park — narrated history sails, sunset cruises, and the education boat that gets Cornell classes on the water. The mid-tourist-track boat you should still take once.

Wine cruises departing Dean's Cove State Boat Launch — Sheldrake, Hosmer, and Thirsty Owl are all reachable by dock, and this is how you do the west-shore wine trail without a designated driver.

Small-boat lake tours departing Steamboat Landing at the Ithaca Farmers Market — eco cruises, sunset runs, and a private-charter option for a group of six or fewer. Book online the same week.

Based at Lansing Park Road — wine cruises, sunset cruises, and private charters on a proper motor yacht. The step up from the pontoon-rental route when the group has budget and doesn't want to captain.

Pontoons, fishing boats, deck boats, kayaks, and paddleboards — family-run and pet-friendly. Stages at Dean's Cove for the west-shore drop and delivers to other launches on request. Book pontoons two weeks out in July.

Boat rentals out of Union Springs — the north-end alternative to the Dean's Cove operations. Pontoons and runabouts; short-turnaround afternoon rentals when Cayuga Lake Boat Rentals is booked out.

I.M. Pei-designed on Cornell's campus with rooftop views of Ithaca and the lake — free admission, Rockefeller Asian collection, and the fifth-floor viewing platform that is the best free view of Cayuga you can get without hiking.

Full-scale casino and resort just off the Thruway near the north end — table games, a 205-room hotel, and the concert calendar that brings acts most Finger Lakes venues can't. The rainy-Saturday-night pivot when the wine day ended early.

Independent film, live music, and comedy in a restored downtown Auburn theater — the north-end cultural venue that isn't the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre. Check the calendar before a north-shore trip.

Summer musical theatre festival at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn — professional Equity productions, a mainstage season plus new-work workshops. The dinner-and-show combo that draws from as far as Rochester.

Wildlife viewing and WWII-era history tours on former Seneca Army Depot lands — the herd of white deer that live inside the old depot fence is the reason to book. Bus tours seasonally; drive-through days a few weekends a year.

The 87-mile loop around the lake — NY-89 west, NY-90 east, connectors at both ends. Viewpoints, wineries, roadside farmstands, and the reason a Cayuga trip should include one full afternoon of just driving. Six hours if you stop for lunch and a winery.

The 1848 convention site in Seneca Falls — Wesleyan Chapel, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton house, and the visitor center that anchors a real half-day of history. The reason Cayuga's north end isn't just a launching point.