Gravel Climbs

Gravel has become a popular part of road cycling. A gravel hill is a great way to shake up a ride and do something a little more adventurous. This route features two of Ithaca's greatest gravel climbs. If you can't get enough dirt, you have arrived at the right route.

Overview

The surface on both climbs is challenging, but definitely doable with a road bike. Yet, keep in mind that conditions may vary wildly depending on the weather.

You start the route by going on the Vincent and Hannah Pew Trail, a paved trail that is also featured in the Three Trails route. After a descent to Six Mile Creek, the first gravel climb starts. With 821 ft of elevation gain in only 2.1 miles, the combination of Burns Rd and Updike Rd would be one of the toughest climbs in the area even without the dirt. Roughly the first half of the climb is paved, but the comfortable asphalt quickly turns into slippery gravel after turning onto Updike Rd.

After a couple miles on rolling terrain you descend towards Brooktondale on Miller Rd. Beware that the road ends with a stop sign, so don’t go too crazy on the descent. When you reach Brooktondale, you can stop by Brookton’s Market if you need a break or some snacks.

Up next is Bald Hill. Unlike the first climb, this road turns into gravel right in the beginning. The road follows the side of a forested mountainside until its surroundings starts to get more open near the top. You are immediately rewarded with an nice windy descent.

On your way back towards Ithaca, you will encounter a funny-looking neighborhood with cute colored houses. Although commonly confused with the residences of Santa’s elves, this community called Boiceville is a collection of rental homes attracting all kinds of demographics from families to college students. The houses were inspired by illustrations in a children’s book called “Miss Rumphius,” such as the ones below

There are deliberately no images of Boiceville itself as not to spoil anything :P.

At this point, you may be done with gravel, but you are not done with climbing just yet. First, you have to get up Snyder Hill. This hill is not nearly as bad as the ones that came before. It’s completely paved, and it is quite mellow with a mere 3.4% average gradient. This hill is one of the most well-known among Ithaca cyclists because it hosts the finish of the Tuesday Night Races (or TNR) that happen weekly during the summer months. From there, it’s all either flat or down back to Ithaca.

Traffic

Gravel roads obviously don't have much traffic. Even the roads connecting the gravel see very little traffic.

Scenery

You'll pass through mostly forests and some fields as well. Don't forget to look around for some nice views of the surrounding hills.