Finger Lakes Trail itinerary
Every mile marker on the Finger Lakes Trail route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Finger Lakes Trail Thru-Hike permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Finger Lakes Trail. One reservation is one date, one entry or one named site, issued by walk-up.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Allegany State Park (west terminus, NY/PA border) is the one on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 11
- Across the markers
- 537.5 mi
- Published route length
- 559 mi
- Ascent, at least
- 4,109 ft
How long it takes: typically 4-6 weeks for a full thru-hike. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Finger Lakes Trail route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
1,376 ft
Allegany State Park (west terminus, NY/PA border)
Entry point: the permit is issued for this trailhead
65.7 miles · 756 ft up to Canada Hill
Mile 65.7
2,132 ft
Canada Hill
30.6 miles · 125 ft down to Swift Hill
Mile 96.3
2,007 ft
Swift Hill
39.0 miles · 733 ft down to Garwoods
Mile 135.3
1,274 ft
Garwoods
59.2 miles · 479 ft down to Pleasant Valley
Mile 194.5
795 ft
Pleasant Valley
74.4 miles · 1,304 ft up to Connecticut Hill
Mile 268.9
2,099 ft
Connecticut Hill
64.4 miles · 32 ft up to Virgil Mountain
Mile 333.3
2,131 ft
Virgil Mountain
63.8 miles · 364 ft down to Truman Hill
Mile 397.1
1,767 ft
Truman Hill
63.2 miles · 124 ft down to Beales Pond
Mile 460.3
1,643 ft
Beales Pond
38.6 miles · 797 ft up to Fork Mountain
Mile 498.9
2,440 ft
Fork Mountain
38.6 miles · 1,220 ft up to Balsam Lake Mountain (high point)
Mile 537.5
3,660 ft
Balsam Lake Mountain (high point)
Getting a Finger Lakes Trail for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Finger Lakes Trail dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks Finger Lakes Trail around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.