Trails in Ithaca, New York
This is a list of trails in Ithaca, New York.
Multiuse and commuter trails
Many of the major trails in Ithaca and the surrounding areas lie in abandoned railroad beds. Ithaca was part of the first big railroad boom, in the 1830s. While only one short-haul rail freight line remains in Ithaca, the area benefits from the use of the well-graded roadbeds that the railroads left behind.In 2004, the City of Ithaca drew up a master plan for its trail system, to fill gaps in trail coverage and to make them more usable as commuter trails in addition to providing better access by foot and bicycle to major area natural preserves and state parks. If all of the connecting trails are completed, Ithaca will have a fairly complete network connecting most neighborhoods in the area without roads.
Cayuga Waterfront Trail
The Cayuga Waterfront Trail connects Cass Park, on the western shore of Cayuga Lake, to Stewart Park on its eastern shore.The trail is wide with an asphalt surface, and links Ithaca's waterfront destinations, including the Tompkins County Visitors' Center, the Ithaca Youth Bureau, Stewart Park, Cascadilla Boat Club, Newman Golf Course, Farmers' Market, Cornell and Ithaca College boathouses, Inlet Island, Cass Park and Allan H. Treman State Marine Park.
South Hill Recreation Way
This, packed-gravel trail was developed in 1986 as a New York State Environmental Quality Bond Act Project. It runs parallel to Coddington Road in the Town of Ithaca, mostly following the abandoned rail bed of the Cayuga and Susquehanna Railroad, which was built in 1849 to ship coal from Pennsylvania mines to Ithaca for water shipment over the Erie Canal. Eventually, it merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and was abandoned in 1956. The descent into Ithaca from South Hill was via two switchbacks. The trail skips the middle switchback. Instead, it follows a short, steep asphalt-paved connector from the upper to lower grades. The tail tracks of the switchbacks are not included in the trail; these were located northwest of Coddington Road at the end of the upper trail, and southease of the bottom of the connector, respectively. Except for the connector, the trail is a gradual downhill from Burns Road to Ithaca. Hiking paths lead off the biking trail into the Six Mile Creek gorge. The trail is a popular spot for cross-country skiing in the winter and, in the summer, connects Ithaca College students to sunning and swimming in Six Mile Creek and the City Reservoir.Small parking areas are located at the end of Juniper Drive and at the corner of Burns Road and Coddington Road in the Town of Ithaca.
East Ithaca Recreation Way
East Ithaca Recreation Way is a paved pedestrian/bike trail in East Hill which runs in several sections between Game Farm Road and Honness Lane and joins with the Vincent and Hannah Pew Trail to the south. It is open one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset. Many benches exist along the trail, providing rest areas for hikers and joggers.The northernmost section from Game Farm Road to Maple Avenue runs through Cornell-owned natural areas along Cascadilla Creek, and allows for horseback riding. The total length of this section is. From Game Farm Road to the bridge over Judd Falls Road it is built on the railroad bed of the former Elmira, Cortland and Northern Railroad , out of service since Hurricane Agnes in June, 1972 and formally abandoned with the formation of Conrail in April 1976.
To get to the next portion of the trail, one continues for west along Maple Avenue, where the trail starts up again.
The middle section runs south from Maple Avenue to Honness Lane and is built on the railroad bed of the former Elmira, Cortland and Northern Railroad . This section of the trail is a popular way to commute to and from Cornell's main campus. The total length of this section is.
To get to the next portion of the trail, one continues east up Honness Lane and then across Pine Tree Road.
The southernmost section of the trail is also known as the Vincent and Hannah Pew Trail, and connects the trail to the Tudor Park and the Snyder Hill / Eastern Heights neighborhood. This part of the trail travels through the Pine Tree Wildlife Preserve and the East Ithaca Nature Preserve for. There is a parking area for trail users, a bus pull-off and transit plaza with connections to the trail on Pine Tree Road, benches and plantings. The trail received a federal highway grant to aid in completion in 2004.
The total length of the trail is.
Jim Schug Trail / Dryden Lake Trail
The Jim Schug Trail, named after the Dryden Town supervisor who secured most of the land but died shortly after the beginning of construction, is in length. Like other trails in the area, it runs on an abandoned railroad bed. It begins on Main Street in Dryden, and continues to the Cortland County border, where it connects to the Finger Lakes Trail. A proposed extension of the trail would connect it northwest to the nearby village of Freeville, and eventually via the Varna / Fall Creek trail to Ithaca. It is gravel-packed and suitable for bicycling, and is also level for the entire route.Black Diamond Trail
The Black Diamond trail is the keystone of a major trail system in the Ithaca area, and has been planned since the 1970s. The section of trail from Cass Park to Taughannock Falls State Park opened in the fall of 2016. This section is now owned by the New York State Parks Department.The main trail segment is the former Lehigh Valley Railroad passenger line from Ithaca to Auburn, New York, popularly known as the "Route of the Black Diamond" from the name of the Lehigh Valley's premier passenger train, which last ran on February 4, 1959. This line stretches along the western shore of Cayuga Lake from Cass Park to Taughannock Falls State Park and Trumansburg, New York, steadily rising from lake level to above sea level at the bridge across Taughannock Creek.
South of Cass Park, the about of the planned route follows the Cayuga Flood Control Channel along Route 13a, and then crosses the flood control channel via recently-built bridge directly opposite Cecil Malone Drive at Cherry Street, providing access to the Cherry Street Industrial Park, the city's Southwest district, and a housing development. From there, it follows the DL&W right of way built in 1849 as part of the Cayuga & Susquehanna railroad, crossing over the fish ladder and eventually goes underneath the Route 13 bridge near the Town/City of Ithaca line, and then proceeds parallel to its south side, terminating in Robert H. Treman State Park. This urban section of the trail is estimated to cost $5 million, mostly for the construction of three new bridges: the bridge connecting to Cecil Malone Drive, one near the fish ladder and a third bridge crossing over the Cayuga Inlet near the trail branch connecting to Buttermilk Falls.
This last connecting trail is planned to branch near the City / Town of Ithaca line to connect to the Gateway Trail, past the edge of Buttermilk Falls State Park and towards South Hill Recreation way. A pedestrian/bicycle bridge already stretches over Route 13 near Buttermilk Falls to provide access to the planned Gateway trail. This "bridge to nowhere" was built before any rights to the abandoned DL&W were secured, and at the time was widely criticized as a spectacularly visible example of a "pork barrel" waste of tax money, as the trail it connects was not built until much later. It is now part of the completed section of the Gateway Trail.
Much more information, including the master plans, are available online at the NY State Parks website.
Lansing Town Trail (Phase 1 open)
The Phase 1 walking trail on farmland owned by the Town of Lansing opened on January 22, 2011. It is a loop trail mostly in open fields with magnificent views of the Cayuga Lake Valley and hills to the south east. Although intended for hiking, X-C Skiing, and snowshoeing, it may be expanded for multipurpose use in the future.East-South Trail (planned)
The East-South connector trail extends from the terminus of South Hill Recreation Way near the intersection of Coddington Road and Burns Road, crosses Route 79/Slaterville Springs Road, runs along it for a short distance, and then connects through Snyder Hill to the planned Pew trail. Almost all of this connector trail will likely be either in the form of bike lanes along the road, or simply the addition of signage to indicate that bikes and cars will share the road. Although Burns Road has fairly light traffic, Route 79 is a major corridor, so safety might be an issue if the route is not separated from traffic.Because it crosses a shallow valley to join South Hill and East Hill, Burns Road has fairly steep sections, but this likely remains the best route to connect the two existing trails.