Cascadilla Gorge
Managed by Cornell Botanic Gardens
29 acres1 mi of trail
Cascadilla Gorge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ithaca
15% of Ithaca’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 10 miles of mapped trail cross Ithaca, 1.9 per square mile of land. 15% of Ithaca’s land is conserved, about 524 acres.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #63 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
524 acres · of 5.4 sq mi of land
Trails
10 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
554 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
6.5 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ithaca?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild15% of the land is conserved; a typical New York town, 5%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.History along the way29 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ithaca have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ithaca is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #63 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ithaca’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NY town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · NY 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (554 acres) · NY 31 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · NY 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 92%
Water is 11% of Ithaca’s area (1 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cascadilla Gorge, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Renwick Wildwood
Nature preserve
36 acres0.9 mi of trail
Bird Sanctuary Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Fall Creek access parking lot
Allan H. Treman State Marine Park
Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
92 acres0.7 mi of trail
Treman Park Lake Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Cass Park
Managed by Ithaca Youth Bureau
76 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 24 parks & preserves
Cascadilla Gorge29 acres · 1 mi of trail · Cornell Botanic Gardens
DirectionsRenwick Wildwood36 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsAllan H. Treman State Marine Park92 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
DirectionsStewart Park44 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCass Park76 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Ithaca Youth Bureau
DirectionsMarkels Flats3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRawlings Green2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWashington Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsIthaca Falls Natural Area4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFuertes Bird Sanctuary2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTitus Triangle1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Ithaca
DirectionsNegundo Woods29 acres · City of Ithaca
DirectionsStrawberry Fields10 acres · City of Ithaca
DirectionsWood Street Park4 acres · City of Ithaca
DirectionsMcDaniels Park2 acres · City of Ithaca
Baker Park1 acres · City of Ithaca
DeWitt Park1 acres
DirectionsThompson Park1 acres
DirectionsHillview Park1 acres
Conley Park1 acres
DirectionsBrindley Park1 acres · City of Ithaca
DirectionsConway Park1 acres
DirectionsBryant Park1 acres
Maplewood Park1 acres · City of Ithaca
Who protects it
524 conserved acres
15% of Ithaca’s land. Water is left out: Ithaca has 5.4 square miles of land and 0.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ithaca’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city531 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government95 ac
State parks91 ac
Other state land24 ac
Private owners1 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Local Park · 558 acState Recreation Area · 115 acLocal Conservation Area · 69 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1 acLocal Other or Unknown · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Ithaca Land Local Park | Town or city | 225 | Unknown |
| Stewart Park Local Park | Town or city | 147 | Open |
| Cass Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 95 | Open |
| Allan H. Treman Marine Facility State Recreation Area | State parks | 91 | Open |
| Six Mile Creek Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Negundo Woods Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Fuertes Bird Sanctuary Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Cayuga-Seneca Canal State Recreation Area | Other state land | 24 | Open |
| Ithaca Falls Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Strawberry Fields Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
51 places to go in Ithaca
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Ithaca
Alex Haley Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ithaca
BJM Playground
DirectionsConway Park PlaygroundIn Conway Park
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Ithaca
Ithaca Dog ParkIn Allan H. Treman State Marine Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Ithaca
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Ithaca
4 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Ithaca
Plus 7 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ithaca
Fuertes Swan Pond OverlookIn Fuertes Bird Sanctuary
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 6.4 mi
Bird Sanctuary Trail0.9 mi
Cascadilla Gorge Trail0.8 mi
Treman Park Lake Loop0.6 mi
Lighthouse Trail0.2 mi
Gorge path0.2 mi
Birding Trail Loop0.2 mi
Bird Sanctuary Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
2.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Tennis
10Basketball
7Soccer
5Baseball
2Football
2Multi-sport
1Skate park
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →29 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Clinton HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itDe Witt Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1971
About itAndrew Dickson White HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itLehigh Valley Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1974
About itLlenrocBuilding · listed 1980
About itSt. James AME Zion ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itBailey HallBuilding · listed 1984
About itCaldwell HallBuilding · listed 1984
About itComstock HallBuilding · listed 1984
About itEast Robert HallBuilding · listed 1984
About itFernow HallBuilding · listed 1984
About it17 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ithaca: May and August
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) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (1.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.9 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 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca | 15% | 1.9 | 17 | 99%+ | A+ |
| South Hill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northwest Ithaca | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Ithaca | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cayuga Heights | under 1% | 0.5 | 1 | 84% | C |
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: Cascadilla Gorge, 1 miles; Renwick Wildwood, 0.9 miles; Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, 0.7 miles; Stewart Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ithaca is conserved land?
15% 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?
Cascadilla Gorge and Renwick Wildwood don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ithaca?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 2.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Ithaca?
25,210 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ithaca or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 554 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ithaca have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #63 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.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →