Boaters are able to travel from Cayuga Inlet via the Erie Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean, or follow Lake Erie to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The trail connects joggers and cyclists to Stewart Park, the Farmer's Market, Newman Golf Course, and other destinations in the area.

[3][4] Cornell University's Collyer Boathouse (men's rowing) and Doris Robison Boathouse (women's rowing) are located on the east bank of the Cayuga Inlet, just north of where Six Mile Creek drains into the inlet.

[5] Ithaca College's Haskell Davidson Boathouse was built on Cayuga Inlet in 1974 and housed 16 rowers and two boats.

[6][7][8] Hydrilla verticillata, a highly invasive species also known as water thyme, was detected in the Cayuga Inlet in August 2011.