Finger Lakes, New York Camping Trip - Day 7

 Friday, June 30, 2023

We planned our last day in the Finger Lakes to be a more leisurely one before the long drive home. In the morning we headed back to Stewart Park in Ithaca with our kayaks where we planned to explore the Cayuga Lake Blueway Trail, a water trail. Our son-in-law and oldest granddaughter joined us as we paddled up Fall Creek and back, then out into Cayuga Lake to get up close to one of the lighthouses while our daughter and middle granddaughter did some geocaching in the park.

Cayuga Lake Blueway Trail

Heading south on Fall Creek

Paddling into Stewart Park Cayuga Inlet Lighthouse

Water lily Cayuga Inlet Breakwater Lighthouse

Afterward we all had a picnic lunch in the park, then went our separate ways. We went for another bicycle ride on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail while the rest of the family went into town to do check out the shops. Our ride this time continued over the inlet and north through Cass Park and into Allan H. Treman State Park where we looped around the nature trail and then headed back past the Children’s Garden and the trail head for the Black Diamond Trail until we returned to our start. The entire ride was just under 9 miles on mostly level asphalt paths with a gravel stretch here and there.

After loading up our bicycles we headed into town to find Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream Shop, which claims to be America’s best ice cream shop. The shop is tiny and we wouldn’t have found it if we hadn’t used Google Maps because there wasn’t a sign outside to grab our attention. The shop is attached to one end of Shortstop Deli. We only spotted it because Jeff saw someone step away from a window with an ice cream cone. We both ordered their Two Berry Twist with their Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt and Red Raspberry Sherbet. We had to admit, it was really tasty! We highly recommend a stop here if you’re in the area. As an added note, contrary to what their website and Google states, the shop opens at 1 p.m., not 3 p.m.

That pretty much ends our adventures in the Finger Lakes. After finishing our ice cream, we returned to the campground to start packing up for the return home. We had a wonderful time exploring the area and seeing all the waterfalls and gorges. We hope to return one day so we can explore some more.

* All Photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *