East Ithaca Recreation Way

Sunday Mid Morning I rode the East Ithaca Recreation Way.  There is a nice historical sign at the entrance detailing the railroad history of the ROW.

 The first stretch Is super flat and the biggest excitement is crossing the road (yawn).

Not “doing my homework” and just “winging it” was a mistake. When I got to the end of the first section (at 2) , I had no idea where to go, Being without any digital connectivity, I cussed out the lack of signage and rode back.

I then drove to the other trailhead and enjoyed this section a lot more. It travels along a stream  (Cascadilla Creek) and bridges the stream and road right before a sharp turn up a steep hill. All was rideable and enjoyable. The weather was cloudy but thankfully it didn’t rain until just as I finished. When I packed up and got in the car - it downpoured!

Short Video 

Black Diamond Trail - Ithaca, NY

The Black Diamond Express
This was the Route of the Lehigh Valley (LVRR) To Buffalo. The LVRR’s most famous passenger train was known as the Black Diamond Express as the railroad was known for primarily hauling coal from the Pennsylvania mines. (further info > )

BTW: The name in no way reflects any kind of difficulty for a biker - it is just a name to link the trail with its past!

The Ride
On Saturday--about a little before 6PM--I rode a bit of the Black Diamond.

I started out in the southernmost part of Cass Park and started riding on the trail I saw but ended up by the pool, so I retraced my route to try and find the actual trail I intended to ride!

 I found a gravel turnoff that led to the old ROW. It turns out, getting started was difficult because there wasn’t any signage. I believe this section of the trail is still considered not open.

The trail itself looks like a jeep trail and I was even blocked with deadfall at one point!

Although easy to ride  (the grade wasn’t much at all), the trail really was more appropriate for fat tires as there was a lot of ballast-sized rocks scattered about and I worried the whole time that I was going to pop a tire. :-(

After about 3 miles of riding, I decided to turn around. This section near the fallen tree pictured below had lots of loose rock just waiting to cause a flat! Fortunately I made it out with my tires still intact - riding back down over the clover was a redeeming moment of fun...

Short One-Handed Video: