Hi friends!
We are considering a trip to upstate NY next year. Main purpose would be hiking. I would love to visit Watkins Glen State park.
Southwest flies into Rochester.
What other things are there to do in that area?
Best month to visit?
Any ideas for best hotel?
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I love how wide the definition of “upstate” is for NY. I was upstate last weekend but not that far upstate. I wish I could help you with Rochester specifics beyond Ithaca is gorges. But I would definitely suggest Niagara Falls!
Best month I would perhaps suggest May/September if you would prefer school to be in session and it not to be wicked hot for hiking. But if you want to swim I would go later into June/July/August.
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We’ve seen Niagara Falls! It’s beautiful!
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We were looking into things in that area when my DD was thinking about going to SUNY Geneseo and we were up there.
Down in that area, about 35 minutes SW from Rochester (and a fair bit east from Watkins Glen) you might want to check out Letchworth Park.
DD is going to school a few hours south now, but think we might try to hit that park on a visit in the future.
Even further south, but not too far from Watkins is the Corning Museum of Glass that looks pretty neat.
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Letchworth looks incredible! I’ll add that to the list!
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A lot of great suggestions already!
The finger lakes are beautiful. My wife’s favorite is the Canandaigua area. Many wineries in the area.
Watkins Glen also has a motorsports course with frequent races.
I have heard the George Eastman Museum is a good place to visit.
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Gorgeous! Reminds me a bit of Burney Falls. Letchworth seems to have more water.
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Not the “upstate New York” I’m most familiar with unfortunately, but the Corning Glass Museum is definitely worth a visit. Went once years ago during a work trip and have been thinking about going back after watching “Blown Away” on Netflix.
Rochester itself also has a bunch of museums that punch well above their weight for a city of that size. We did the Rochester Children’s Museum at one point and it is excellent - considered one of the better ones in the US.
And if you’re a minor league baseball fan, the Rochester Red Wings have a nice AAA stadium that can be worth a visit if the schedule fits.
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LORD have mercy.
I have now seen EVERYTHING!
Born and raised there for 49.5 years.
Hit me up - ask all the things.
Letchworth Park is much more significant a destination than Watkin’s Glen. Middle of nowhere. Mt. Morris is a cute adjacent town.
George Eastman house is interesting-ish.
Corning Museum is very cool IMO. Out of the way.
Finger Lakes is a HUGE region and there are a ton of little places.
Lake Ontario has cool things too. Chimney Bluff State Park. Lighthouses here and there. Fort Niagara is cool, but you’ve been to Niagara.
Narrowing down a region would be starters. One thing to consider is staying at the northern end of a Finger Lake as the I-90 runs across the middle of the state and makes moving around easier. Way too often something you want to do is half-way down a lake and you are half-way down another lake… KWIM? Staying on the top end of a lake will make driving places easier.
Ask me ANYTHING you want. I strongly endorse the Victor/Canandaigua, NY areas for safety, proximity to Finger Lakes and Rochester (airport) and Lake Ontario.
Have Steph send you my phone number if you want to text questions offline.
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I think her Nashvillian experience would make even the hottest July day tolerable.
I’d go in July or August, personally. It can still snow in May. 
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Late May - before NY schools are out into the first week of June. That’s my final answer. 
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Are there black flies in the Finger Lakes?
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Not that I’ve ever heard complaints about.
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Good, cuz that was my first thought. Upstate NY is a lot of places, for certain, meaning north of the city, which is where I went to high school. But also north of Albany. My aunt’s cabin was between Albany and Lake Placid and was overwhelmed by black flies in June. 
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The Adirondack’s is a long way from Finger Lakes. Though cool forts (and hiking) that way too. I don’t hike.
It would be a different trip. Or a fly into Roc and out of Albany trip.
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I love to hike but at my aunt’s we were mostly on or in the water. My cousins have hiked to some of the nearby peaks, tho.
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DS25 went to Geneseo and was at that park all the time. He loved it.
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In Rochester we went to a toy(?) museum I’m not sure if it’s the same one that @Damavs mentioned, but it was pretty cool. Worth a visit if you’re there, not worth going out of your way for.
For timing, I would recommend not August / September because that’s when the colleges start back up (late August) and have parent’s weekend (September). Hotels will be outrageously expensive.
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We had black flies one year on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula. Holy cow they would bite!
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Good point about the hotel cost!
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