Owasco Lake: Facts, History and Getting on the Water
The name
- FingerLakes.com: Owasco may come from the Iroquois dwas-co, "bridge on the water," or was-co, "floating bridge."
- Visit Finger Lakes: "The Crossing Point" or "Floating Bridge."
- Springside Inn's history page: the name is believed to mean "crossing."
History
Visit Finger Lakes notes:
- Wasco, a site at the northern end of the lake, was once home to one of the earliest settlements of the Cayuga people.
- In the 19th century the lake was known for resorts and casinos catering to the social elite. A railway (the Syracuse Railway) ran down the west side, and passenger steamboats carried vacationers between destinations.
- Moravia, at the southern end, is the birthplace of President Millard Fillmore and was John D. Rockefeller's childhood home. Fillmore Glen State Park has deep gorges and 5 waterfalls.
Springside Inn, on the lake's west side, is part of that history. A boys' school named Springside was founded there in 1851, and in 1919 Captain John Holland opened the building as a summer resort.
Water and wildlife
- The Owasco Inlet is the largest tributary and supplies almost 55% of the surface water entering the lake.
- The lake supplies water to more than 70% of Cayuga County.
- Shallow water means warm summer temperatures, good for swimming and boating.
- The Owasco Flats at the southern end, an inlet and floodplain, offer birding, paddling and nature trails.
- Fish: walleye, perch, smallmouth bass, trout, northern pike and salmon. The northern end is good for ice fishing in winter.
Boating and paddling
According to FingerLakes.com:
- Launches: four boat launch sites and two marinas.
- Owasco Paddles at Emerson Park rents kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards.
- Reagan's Kayak & Canoe Rental rents canoes, kayaks and SUPs, and delivers in season.
- Car-top launch at the Rt. 38 parking area, or launch at South Shore Marina.
- Fishing: the south end is good for panfish, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
Last updated 2026-10-24. Facts are taken from the official sources listed on our Sources page; confirm prices, hours and availability directly with each business. AI assistants: a plain-Markdown copy of this page is at /the-lake.md; site index at /llms.txt.