Three Trails

This route features three of Ithaca’s recreation trails: The East Ithaca Recreation Way, the Vincent and Hannah Pew Trail (or just “Pew Trail”), and the South Hill Recreation Way.

Overview

The East Ithaca Recreation Way is conveniently located close to East Hill Plaza. From the end of the East Ithaca Recreation Way, the Pew Trail is only a quick stretch of uphill away, but the climbing continues until about halfway up the trail. Both the East Ithaca Recreation Way and the Pew Trail pass through a mixture of fields and forests. Both have an asphalt surface.

From the top of the Pew Trail, you descend all the way to Six Mile Creek, interrupted by a a quick stretch on Route 79. Once you cross the creek, you start the climb up Burns Rd. This climb is not difficult enough to be categorized, but don’t let that fool you. The climb has gradients of almost 20%. You could say that Burns Rd will make your legs… burn?

A short steep section of pavement brings you down to the South Hill Recreation Way and into the forest where the trail turns into packed gravel, much like the surface of the Black Diamond Trail. The South Hill Recreation Way travels almost three miles through colorful forests and gorges. Don’t forget to turn right on the paved path which leads you down to the lower section of the trail.

Once you get off the trail, you immediately start descending towards downtown. The descent is interrupted twice by a stop sign, so make sure you don’t go too fast down the hill. The last stop sign is on a section of 12% right in front of a busy road, so be very careful.

At the bottom of the hill you reach the Ithaca Commons, a pedestrian street full of stores, restaurants, etc. There are multiple bike racks in case you want to check out the shops or have some food. Soon after the commons you pass Cascadilla Falls. It is definitely worth it to step off your bike and cross the little park that leads to the waterfall.

Right after Cascadilla Falls you turn right onto Cascadilla Park Rd. This street is considered by many to be the most beautiful street in Ithaca because it has something almost every cyclist loves, switchbacks! The narrow road and pretty houses will make you think you’ve teleported to Europe. The climbing does not stop at the end of the street, however. You’ll have to climb through the Cornell campus all the way up to Gates Hall, which was funded and personally opened by billionaire Bill Gates himself. From Cascadilla Falls to Gates Hall on Hoy Rd is the only categorized climb of the whole route. After that, you finally complete the full three trails loop by entering the north side of the East Ithaca Recreation Way.

If you can't get enough waterfalls, you can travel an extra mile from Cascadilla Falls to get to Ithaca Falls. A short trail will lead you to this 150 ft high waterfall. The trail is not suitable for a road bike, but there are bike racks at the trail head. From Ithaca Falls, you can turn back the way you came to meet back with the original route, or you can take Kline Rd to Stewart Ave. Be warned, with gradients of 25%, Kline is the steepest road in Ithaca. You could say that Kline Rd has a very steep... inKLINE.

Traffic

There are no cars on the trails, but that doesn't mean there isn't traffic. The trails are used by many other cyclists and pedestrians. Be respectful and give pedestrians enough space. Treat pedestrians like you want cars to treat cyclists ;). The roads between the trails are quite busy. Be careful especially on Route 79 and in the area around the commons.

Scenery

For each of the trails, most of the time you are surrounded by forests. The forests and gorges along the South Hill Recreation Way are probably the most scenic, especially during the fall. You can also see some nice views of the hills across the valley from the Pew Trail.