According to Iroquois legend, the Finger Lakes of west central New York were made by the impression of the hand of the Great Spirit Manitou.
Geologists insist that receding glaciers cut the lakes from calcium-rich seabeds.
Either way, the forest preserves a unique shrubland ecosystem that nearly vanished because settlers farmed the land until the soil was depleted. As the only national forest in New York State and the smallest in the country, the protected habitat is all the more precious. Nestled on a ridge between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, the forest is easy to explore thanks to a web of interconnected trails that traverse gorges, ravines, woodlands, and pastures. All rights reserved.