Black Diamond Trail

This may be the best route in all of Ithaca! The Black Diamond Trail brings you through forests, waterfalls, gorgeous gorges, and even bison. You might also catch some glimpses of the lake below!

Overview

The Black Diamond Trail is a recently finished rail trail stretching 8.4 miles from Cass Park to Taughannock Falls State Park. The trail used to be part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, a network of railroads connecting New York City to Buffalo. The Lehigh Valley Railroad mainly transported coal, but the specific rail through Ithaca hosted a luxury passenger service called the Black Diamond Express. The "black diamond" refers to the coal and is now also the name of the trail that has replaced the tracks.

Plans to turn the abandoned railroad into a trail first emerged during the 1970s, but the first section of trail would not be completed until 40 years later in 2016.

The surface consists of soft gravel and is perfectly doable with a road bike. Although the trail may look flat, it actually has an upward gradient of about 1.5%. You may not even notice that you're slowly climbing until you turn around towards Ithaca and feel that pedaling is all of the sudden a lot easier.

Once you get to the north side of the Black Diamond Trail, consider adding an extra 0.7 miles to get to the Taughannock Falls Overlook Visitor Center. From there you have a beautiful view of Taughannock Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains (yes, it’s about three stories higher than Niagara Falls!). Simply turn right on Jacksonville Rd and turn right once again after crossing the bridge.

There are two more great ways to make this route a little longer. You can add 3.2 miles by adding the Cayuga Waterfront Trail starting at Stewart Park. This paved trail follows theshore of Cayuga Lake, Fall Creek, and the Cayuga Inlet. It passes through the Ithaca Farmers Market as well, one of Ithaca’s main attractions. (see Cayuga Waterfront Trail for more information.) An extra 2.7 miles from the end of the Black Diamond Trail brings you to Trumansburg, a charming village with multiple cafes and shops that are perfect to refuel, take a break, or enjoy a rewarding coffee.

Traffic

When you're on the trail, there are no worries about cars! However, keep in mind that pedestrians and other cyclists use the trail as well. Be respectful and give pedestrians enough space. Treat pedestrians like you want cars to treat cyclists ;). The road to Trumansburg doesn't see a lot of traffic, but the central road through Trumansburg (Route 96) is very busy.

Scenery

It can't get any more scenic than this. Forests, gorges, waterfalls, and an occasional view of the lake all in one trail. Add the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, and you can come even closer the beautifully blue waters of Cayuga Lake.

Starting point

Please note that the starting point for this ride is not East Hill Plaza. Instead, you can park at the Ithaca Children's Garden to access the Black Diamond Trail. If you want to add the Waterfront Trail to your ride, you can park at Stewart Park. There is also space to park at most road crossings all along the Black Diamond Trail.

Hills

With an average gradient of less than 2%, the Black Diamond Trail can't really be called a hill, although you do climb a total of 434 ft (132 m) from Ithaca to Taughannock Falls.