Trails in Ithaca, New York
The trail is 10 to 12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) 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 (with a planned extension to the current US Coast Guard at the Inlet Island point), Cass Park and Allan H. Treman State Marine Park.
This 3.30-mile (5.31 km), packed-gravel trail was developed in 1986 as a New York State Environmental Quality Bond Act Project.
The trail is a popular spot for cross-country skiing in the winter and, in the summer, connects Ithaca College students to sunning and (illegal) swimming in Six Mile Creek and the City Reservoir.
The northernmost section from Game Farm Road to Maple Avenue runs through Cornell-owned natural areas along Cascadilla Creek, and allows for horseback riding.
To get to the next portion of the trail, one continues 0.2 miles (0.32 km) east up Honness Lane and then across Pine Tree Road.
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 4.2 miles (6.8 km) in length.
Like other trails in the area, it runs on an abandoned railroad bed (the Southern Central railway: for most of its existence, part of the Lehigh Valley).
[1] It begins on Main Street in Dryden, and continues to the Cortland County border, where it connects to the Finger Lakes Trail.
South of Cass Park, the about 2 miles (3.2 km) of the planned route follows the Cayuga Flood Control Channel along Route 13a, and then crosses the flood control channel (via a yet to be built bridge) directly opposite Cecil Malone Drive at Cherry Street, providing access to the Cherry Street Industrial Park, the city's Southwest district, and eventually to the new housing development planned there.
From there, it follows the DL&W right of way built in 1849 as part of the Cayuga & Susquehanna railroad,[1] 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 "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 to will not be usable for several years, if ever.
[4] The 2.4 miles (3.9 km) 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.
Because Hillview is too narrow for a completely-separate path, the current plan involves the use of bike lanes or shared roadway signage for the last connection.
This trail would extend along the hillside above the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, connecting the City and Town of Ithaca with Lansing.
Two major access points within the city are via the South Hill Recreation Way, or via a small parking lot at the intersection of Giles and Water streets.
The trail also provides access to the old City Reservoir, a popular (but illegal and unsafe) swimming destination in the summer.
Allan H. Treman and Taughannock Falls State Parks are both near Lake Cayuga and are oriented towards shorter, lighter walks and hikes, while Buttermilk Falls and Robert H. Treman State Parks are marked by their waterfalls, and focus on hiking trails which follow their respective creeks, and are thus more difficult although still rewarding trails.
