riding in ithaca


Ithaca is a great place to ride a bike, be it mountain, road, cross, tandem, bmx, whatever. We've posted some good routes here, but please email us if you know more!

Google Groups "Live" Rides

Mountain

About 5 miles east of NYSEG turn south from Rt. 13 onto Irish Settlement Rd. Turn left onto Star Stanton Rd., about 3 miles from Rt. 13. Follow Star Stanton, bearing right at the Y, and head up hill. Parking lot is at the top of the hill, on the right, just before a significant downhill. Here on finds miles of jeep roads and trails. There are typically DEC trail brochures available at the trail register (across the road). Colored trail blazes mark some of the more prominent trails.

Take Rt. 79 east about 4 miles and turn right onto Brooktondale Rd. In about 5 miles bear right onto Braley Hill Rd, and travel about 1/4 mile uphill. A cornucopia of trails stem off this road, in both directions, offering challenges for every level of rider.

Leaving from the football field, take 366 (Dryden Road) toward the power plant and vet school. Continue for about 1.5 miles, and look for Mt Pleasent Rd on your right. It is right before an auto-shop, and pretty easy to miss. Head up Mt. Pleasant, go straight through the stop sign, and keep going up. At the very top of the hill, look for power lines crossing the road. Glenn's is on your left (the driveway is really long, you probably can't see the house from the road).

Road


Check out this section for our ever-expanding database of routes in and around the Ithaca area. Unless otherwise noted, all rides will start from Goldwin Smith Hall on the Arts Quad. If you've got any rides that you want to have added, drop us a line.

A very quick loop. If you only have an hour or so between classes, but want to climb a big hill and get a nice view of the area, this is a good route.
A route which covers some of the more serious hills in the area, but also has some fun descents. Includes climbs up past Ithaca College and Enfield Falls Road. Blakesley road includes a serious switchback (Trucks advised to limit speed to 5 MPH) so use caution if you've never been down the descent before.
A short loop which takes you along some of the more important roads for biking in the area. Many of the roads are good starting places for other routes - e.g. from Coddington, you can take East Miller over to 96 B. From 79 you have a number of options. From Midline you could take Irish Settlement Road to extend the loop. There are plenty of variations.

A scenic, moderate length loop that takes you north of Ithaca on west side of Cayuga Lake. It has one short by steep climb up through Taughannock State Park to add some spice to the profile, and feature beautiful scenery only found in the Finger Lakes region. A nice ride that won't eat up your entire day.
A loop with a solid climb up Hurd Hill and a couple of fun descents. You can break 50 MPH on the big hill without too much trouble, but be careful there is some gravel at the bottom of the biggest descent, where you make a sharp left turn.

A loop that's mostly flat and rolling that follows the valley out through Brooktondale. The route concludes with a climb up Cascadilla Park Road, the site of the Cascadilla Hill Climb. It's a great ride for someone not in the mood for serious climbing.
The famous century ride that works its way around the perimeter of Cayuga Lake. The ride sticks to the major roads that run to the north on the east side of the lake (Rt. 34/Rt. 90) and to the south on the west side of the lake (Rt. 89). The ride is mostly flat, with some gradual climbing at the beginning and end of the route.

Cross


Shops