Keuka Lake

Keuka Lake (/ˈkjuːkə/ KEW-kə) is one of the major Finger Lakes in the U.S. state of New York. It is unusual because it is Y-shaped, in contrast to the long and narrow shape of the other Finger Lakes. Due to its shape, it was referred to in the past as Crooked Lake. Keuka means "canoe landing" in the Iroquois language and "lake with an elbow" in the Seneca language.

Description

The Y-shaped Keuka Lake empties into another Finger Lake, Seneca Lake, from a stream called Keuka Lake Outlet at the lake's northeastern end in Penn Yan. The stream empties into Seneca Lake at the village of Dresden. At one time the outlet was developed into a canal, the Crooked Lake Canal, connecting the lakes. This canal was later replaced by a railroad branch line which is now a hiking and cycling trail.

The lake is about 20 miles (32 km) long and varies in width from 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to two miles (3.2 km). The length of the shoreline is about 60 miles (97 km). It has a surface area of 11,730 acres (47.5 km²), and a maximum and mean depth of 186 feet (57 m) and 101 feet (31 m) respectively.