The Heart Of New York's Ethereal Finger Lakes Region Hides A Peaceful Park With Stark-White Deer And Outdoor Fun

11 idyllic lakes, a haven for wine enthusiasts with over 130 wineries, a post-card worthy town with a charming downtown, these are the daydreams invoked when most think of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York. Between the two largest lakes — Seneca and Cayuga — lies Seneca County, where an underrated town boasts award-winning wine and historic charm, and where the first Women's Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls in 1848.

Seneca County is also where white deer prance amidst historic remnants dotted around the landscape in Deer Haven Park. Once a United States Army depot during World War II, the park's 10,000 acres featured storage facilities, government officials buildings, and an incinerator building. These days, mother nature retook the land and the military personnel that once toiled here have been replaced with diverse wildlife. Luckily, the army protected the ethereal creatures that call this place home: the stark-white deer. These otherworldly animals appear out of the vegetation like ghosts, waiting to be found by the curious traveler.

Deer Haven Park is equidistant from the two major cities in the Finger Lakes region: Rochester and Syracuse, and about an hour drive from either city. Before you go off exploring, stop by the Visitor Center, which also doubles as a museum and sells historical souvenirs to take back home. It's open Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This is also the spot where a few of the tours start, such as Bird Watching at Deer Haven Park. 

Deer Haven Park is not the stereotypical park in that the only way to explore it is through one of the guided or unguided tours. The Auto Tour is the unguided version, and for a fee, travelers will receive a tablet equipped with a GPS that provides information on the Seneca Army Depot's history. Travelers follow a route as directed by the tablet past storage igloos, train loading platforms, and vestiges of old farming communities. Visitors on this tour must remain inside their vehicle at all times.

Deer Haven Park offers the Majesty & Mystery Bus Tour, guiding you into the historical corners of this expansive wonderland. During the tour, you'll be allowed to explore one of the storage igloos and a bomb shelter. Learn about the precautions taken to protect secret weapons, and walk where nuclear weapons were once stored. Your guide will lead you through the park and help you spot the wildlife that call Deer Haven Park home, including the elusive the stark-white deer. At the time of this writing, the 90-minute bus tour costs $30 for adults ages 18 to 64. Seniors over 65 and military personnel get a reduced ticket pricing at $27 and children under 12 can tour for $8.

Guests can also book a private bus tour, which is similar to the Majesty & Mystery Bus Tour except you and your party can have the bus to yourselves. These tours last two hours as opposed to the 90-minute public tour. Pricing starts at around $250 for six people with additional fees for up to 16 guests.

Seneca County and the surrounding area is chock full of outdoor activities. One state park worth visiting is Sampson State Park, a 2,000-acre park hugging Seneca Lake's eastern shores just a five-minute drive south from Deer Haven. It's a prime spot for boating, as it has a marina with 96 boat slips. Seneca Lake Resorts rents pontoon boats so anyone can get out on the water. For more wildlife viewing, visit Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge a half-hour drive northeast. The most popular hikes here are ranked easy and can take less than an hour to clear. The Esker Brook Trail is the most popular, with one Alltrails reviewer mentioning it was a "nice little walk with some pretty birds and turtles."

For more hiking just 30 minutes drive from Deer Haven, the Finger Lakes National Forest has over 30 miles of hiking trails across 16,529 acres. The Potomac Ponds Trail is the perfect place to set up a fishing line and try your luck at bass and trout. Through vendors such as Painted Bar Stables, visitors can immerse themselves in the wonders of the Finger Lakes Region on guided horseback trail rides. The Finger Lakes National Forest and surrounding areas also boast nearly 150 miles of trails for mountain biking, including the 12.5-mile Chatfield Loop in the Green Mountain Middlebury district. You could even venture to Robert H. Treman State Park — located a 50-minute drive from Deer Haven — and explore its 12 majestic waterfalls, beach, and comfy camping.