Ithaca has 46 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
2,336 acres are parks and preserves, 111 per 1,000 residents. 17% of Ithaca’s land is conserved, about 3,184 acres. 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #55 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
3,184 acres · of 28.9 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,336 ac
111 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
91%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Highest peak
1,276 ft
Hungerford Hill
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Ithaca?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ithaca is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #55 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ithaca’s overall grade.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
17% of Ithaca’s land. Who manages Ithaca’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,705 ac
State parks1,139 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,124 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)51 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government39 ac
Other state land23 ac
State conservation6 ac
State Park · 1,001 acLocal Park · 974 acLocal Conservation Area · 782 acUnknown Easement · 732 acPrivate Conservation · 349 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 769 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 42 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Six Mile Creek Natural Area
Local Conservation Area
Town or city
752
Open
City of Ithaca Land
Local Park
Town or city
749
Unknown
Buttermilk Falls State Park
State Park
State parks
654
Open
Robert H. Treman State Park
State Park
State parks
348
Open
Eldridge Wilderness Preserve
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
170
Open
Town of Ithaca Land
Local Park
Town or city
152
Unknown
Sweedler
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
133
Closed
Black Diamond Trail
State Recreation Area
State parks
132
Open
Babcock Tract
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits
45
Closed
Cornell University Lands
Private Other or Unknown
Land trusts & nonprofits
45
Closed
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in Ithaca
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
2.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
34Tennis
10Soccer
10Basketball
9Football
5Baseball
2Tracks
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.4
10.5
11.8
13.3
14.6
15.3
15.0
13.9
12.4
11.0
9.7
9.1
High (°F)
32
34
43
56
69
77
81
79
73
60
47
37
Rain (in)
2.2
1.9
2.8
3.2
3.2
4.1
3.9
3.6
3.9
3.6
2.8
2.6
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ithaca →
Next door
Ithaca and its neighbors
Ithaca has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Ithaca
Where can I hike in Ithaca?
The longest trail networks: Buttermilk Falls State Park, 7.1 miles; Robert H. Treman State Park, 5.4 miles; South Hill Natural Area East, 4.1 miles; F.R. Newman Arboretum, 3.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ithaca is conserved land?
17% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Ithaca’s trails?
Buttermilk Falls State Park and Robert H. Treman State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ithaca?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 2.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ithaca?
40,578 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ithaca or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,337 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ithaca have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #55 of 758 in New York. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ithaca neighbors.
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0