The Story Behind the Travel Photo: Lake Getaways
Updated: Oct 13
Like most people, when I think of getting away to some place near the water, oceans and beaches always come to mind. But sometimes, either by accident or as part of a planned trip, a lake getaway can be just the thing.
Lakes, by a rough definition, are bodies of water completely surrounded by land. Technically, the size and depth of the water decides whether it's a pond or a lake, but it's all semantics. Many times, the land surrounding the water can be lakes mountains, forests, even charming towns, all making the scene photo and video worthy, during any season. It's what surrounding the lake that can make the getaway worth it.
In my travels, I have been fortunate to visit a few picturesque lakes located in city and state parks, in the center of town or part of a resort. If you're planning a trip to a lake area, try to check out the website before or stop at the welcome center when you arrive. Many times, there may be other amenities: swimming, hiking or cycling trails, lake tours, rowboats, fishing, possibly ice-skating in the winter.
So, which lakes have we've seen? Plenty: some famous, some known only to locals. One of my favorite areas is 7 Lakes Drive, in what we call upstate New York (although technically, it's not really far from the city at all). Are there really 7 lakes within Harriman State Park (and running through Bear Mountain State Park, as well)? It turns are that there are. In the area, look for local resorts and standard hotels for your lake getaway. (There's also a famous shopping outlet.)
Popular during the summer, 7 Lakes Drive becomes even more crowded in autumn. As the term implies, you can drive through this part of the park, and see the lakes and the fall foliage in all of its splendor. The classic autumn foliage picture complete with a shimmering lake is almost cliche. Driving through 7 Lakes Drive allows for a few places to either park or to pull of temporarily for better viewing. Just follow any signs and rules of the road.
Further "upstate" (and west) is the Finger Lakes Region of New York, another extremely popular lake getaway. When you look at a map, the configuration of the lakes seem to form a set of interesting hands, with about 11 fingers rather than 10. One of the largest, Cayuga Lake, is in Ithaca. It has interesting stats: technically it's the second largest Finger Lake but it is also the longest, running through 3 counties.
Ithaca is home to Cornell University (my alma mater) and Ithaca College. The city is at the southern end of Cayuga Lake with Seneca Falls, at the northern end: a notable site for history but also possible the inspiration for the setting for one of my favorite movies, "It's A Wonderful Life."
It's tempting to take Route 96 to get from one small city to another, but we took another route: Route 89, which hugs the lake at times, given us the literal scenic route, no matter the season.
Cayuga Lake is a great place to visit. Like most of the lakes, there are plenty of activities, especially in warm weather. But one day, I decided that winter was the season that I was going to experience seeing the lake.
Since the lake is one of the largest and deepest of the Finger Lakes, it takes a very cold and long winter for it to freeze completely, but often there may be sections along its 38 miles that might have enough ice to make it scenic. It was freezing cold, but peaceful. Not even the sound of birds, who can be active in the winter. Do not try to use the lake during winter: the ice can be deceiving.
After admiring the lake (in any season), enjoy the funky, college and artsy vibe of Ithaca. The two colleges supply more than enough culture but downtown Ithaca is fun on its own. There are plenty of lodging options, shopping and activities and along with lakes, the waterfalls and gorges can keep you busy enough to want to plan more trips.
One very interesting note for those of us who live in and around New York City: driving to Ithaca can take you through two states before you end up back in New York. The getting away to this lake getaway is just as fun as the destination. I-80 will take you through New Jersey and the Poconos and Endless Mountain regions of Pennsylvania. Don't say we didn't warn you as you pass by shopping outlets, small towns and a couple of great welcome centers.
All of the Finger Lakes are worthy of a visit and I had a chance to visit one more, so one summer I stayed in Watkins Glen, near Seneca Lake. Just like Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake caters to a lot of outdoor activities, including nature boat tours, as well as dinner cruises.
The view of Seneca Lake from Watkins Glen can be deceiving: you know it continues upwards for almost 38 miles, too, (Cayuga is allegedly .2 miles longer) but from the dock in Watkins Glen, it looks like it's surrounded by forests, the bend of the lake is just out of sight. It was like a cozy scene, enveloping the lake with manicured trees, with just a few boats skimming the surface.
In New York State, in the western part, we share two of the famous Great Lakes with several states and Canada: Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Because of the size of these massive lakes (it's hard to believe they are surrounded by land), you can visit them in any town or city for hundreds of miles along the border of western New York.
While we were in Jamestown, we decided to take a drive and explore the area. Not too far is the town of Barcelona (New York, not Spain) and it sits along Lake Erie. This was not my first time seeing Lake Erie. While passing through Buffalo, NY, we saw this magnificent lake.
The two lakes are actually linked by the Niagara River, with Niagara Falls in the middle of this link. If you continue traveling north (after the obligatory stop to see the Falls), you can visit Lake Ontario. Part of this lake is near Oswego, which is where we were at the time.
One of the towns we stay in while traveling on I-95 is Santee, South Carolina. Since we don't fish, the significance of the area went right over our heads for several years. But one day, we weren't in a hurry. We had explored the town the day before since we had arrived mid-afternoon. The next morning, we decided to see Lake Marion.
You can actually get a magnificent view of Lake Marion as you drive over the bridge on I-95, entering Santee. And what a view it is. Manmade, it turns out that Lake Marion and Santee are a well known fishing spot in these parts. And a quick, side trip to Santee State Park, showed us why. It's a very large lake with plenty of room for many boats, with boat launches dotted along the shore.
Of course, I enjoy my home country when exploring lakes but I'm not prejudiced. Welcome to Italy and to one of the most famous lake destinations in Europe, if not the world. We headed up on a train out of Milan to Lake Como.
As many travelers know, Lake Como is an extremely a popular destination. We got off in Varenna. The Lake Como area is a true resort region: chic, sophisticated and expensive.
The hustle and bustle was almost overwhelming when we got off the train. Somehow, we found our way to the lake itself. We knew instantly that we needed to plan another trip here in the future and stay overnight. We decided to skip a tour on the boat and just walk around a little of the lake itself. OK, maybe we did hike a teeny bit up some stairs to get a higher view. And for that trip, that was enough. Next time, we would take the boat tour, and get out on the water.
So, obviously, we haven't finished our tours of beautiful lakes. Subscribe to our blog and our YouTube Channel and come lake chasing with us.
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