Explore the best rated trails in Elmira, NY. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Pine Creek Rail Trail and South Hill Recreation Way. With more than 16 trails covering 129 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
The Vestal Rail Trail runs for nearly four miles through the town of Vestal along an abandoned right-of-way once used by the Delaware–Lackawana & Western Railroad. Today, the 12-foot-wide trail is...
The South Hill Recreation Way follows the southern rim of the Six Mile Creek gorge from the outskirts of southeast Ithaca to Burns Road, near the Ithaca Reservoir. The gravel path follows the former...
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North of Mansfield lies the Railroad Grade Trail, know to locals as Ives Run. The 2.5-mile trail begins on the north end at the Ives Run Recreation area, near the boat launch parking lot. Travelers on...
Enjoy a smooth ride along the Catharine Valley Trail, a well-maintained multiuse pathway that provides a comfortable and shaded biking experience through Upstate New York. High points include entering...
In 1979 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saw value in this corridor near the Tioga River, which was part of the Erie Lackawanna Rail Line. It once passed through the village of Lambs Creek, which is...
The East Ithaca Recreation Way on East Hill is primarily built upon the rail bed of the old Ithaca and Cortland Railroad, which later became part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The trail skirts the...
If you are near Corning, New York, and need a nice walk, check out this charming respite. The Painted Post Trail connects schools, playgrounds, other trails and residential neighborhoods west of...
The Lackawanna Rail Trail traces a short stretch of the old Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad from Lowman to Elmira in southern New York. Much of it follows the meandering Chemung River, meaning...
If you are near Corning, New York, and need a nice walk, check out this charming respite. The Painted Post Trail connects schools, playgrounds, other trails and residential neighborhoods west of...
Black Diamond Trail will one day stretch 15 miles to link four state parks in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Currently, 8 miles of the trail are open, which follow the Lehigh Valley Railroad...
The Jim Schug Trail offers a short, sweet excursion in New York's Finger Lakes region. The trail was known as the Dryden Lake Trail until it was renamed in 2002 in memory of the late town supervisor...
A public trail owned by Cortland County since the 1977 abandonment of a Lehigh Valley railroad line built by Ezra Cornell as the "Ithaca & Cortland" in 1872, this path crosses east to west from...
The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
In 1979 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saw value in this corridor near the Tioga River, which was part of the Erie Lackawanna Rail Line. It once passed through the village of Lambs Creek, which is...
Eagles Mere, located at an elevation of 2100 feet in the Endless Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, is a town rich with history dating back over 200 years. In 1794 George Lewis bought the lake and...
A pleasant walk between wetland habitat and farmland, this short community trail sits atop a sewer line that Corning Glassworks installed to serve its Big Flats plant. Corning provided the crushed...
North of Mansfield lies the Railroad Grade Trail, know to locals as Ives Run. The 2.5-mile trail begins on the north end at the Ives Run Recreation area, near the boat launch parking lot. Travelers on...
Enjoy a smooth ride along the Catharine Valley Trail, a well-maintained multiuse pathway that provides a comfortable and shaded biking experience through Upstate New York. High points include entering...
The East Ithaca Recreation Way on East Hill is primarily built upon the rail bed of the old Ithaca and Cortland Railroad, which later became part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The trail skirts the...
The South Hill Recreation Way follows the southern rim of the Six Mile Creek gorge from the outskirts of southeast Ithaca to Burns Road, near the Ithaca Reservoir. The gravel path follows the former...
The Ridgeway Trail skirts the banks of Willseyville Creek along the abandoned rail bed of the Delaware & Lackawanna Railroad and the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. From south Willseyville the trail...
The Vestal Rail Trail runs for nearly four miles through the town of Vestal along an abandoned right-of-way once used by the Delaware–Lackawana & Western Railroad. Today, the 12-foot-wide trail is...
The Lackawanna Rail Trail traces a short stretch of the old Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad from Lowman to Elmira in southern New York. Much of it follows the meandering Chemung River, meaning...
The Pine Creek Rail Trail is one of Pennsylvania’s destination trails, and for good reason. The 62-mile well--maintained trail runs at the bottom of überscenic Pine Creek Gorge, commonly called the...
The Pine Creek Rail Trail is one of Pennsylvania’s destination trails, and for good reason. The 62-mile well--maintained trail runs at the bottom of überscenic Pine Creek Gorge, commonly called the...
A public trail owned by Cortland County since the 1977 abandonment of a Lehigh Valley railroad line built by Ezra Cornell as the "Ithaca & Cortland" in 1872, this path crosses east to west from...
Enjoy a smooth ride along the Catharine Valley Trail, a well-maintained multiuse pathway that provides a comfortable and shaded biking experience through Upstate New York. High points include entering...
Black Diamond Trail will one day stretch 15 miles to link four state parks in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Currently, 8 miles of the trail are open, which follow the Lehigh Valley Railroad...
The Lackawanna Rail Trail traces a short stretch of the old Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad from Lowman to Elmira in southern New York. Much of it follows the meandering Chemung River, meaning...
The East Ithaca Recreation Way on East Hill is primarily built upon the rail bed of the old Ithaca and Cortland Railroad, which later became part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The trail skirts the...
In 1979 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saw value in this corridor near the Tioga River, which was part of the Erie Lackawanna Rail Line. It once passed through the village of Lambs Creek, which is...
The Keuka Outlet Trail offers a sinuous route of nearly 7 miles between Penn Yan and Dresden in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The rail-trail follows a railroad corridor that traced a former canal...
The Ridgeway Trail skirts the banks of Willseyville Creek along the abandoned rail bed of the Delaware & Lackawanna Railroad and the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. From south Willseyville the trail...
Eagles Mere, located at an elevation of 2100 feet in the Endless Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, is a town rich with history dating back over 200 years. In 1794 George Lewis bought the lake and...
North of Mansfield lies the Railroad Grade Trail, know to locals as Ives Run. The 2.5-mile trail begins on the north end at the Ives Run Recreation area, near the boat launch parking lot. Travelers on...
The Jim Schug Trail offers a short, sweet excursion in New York's Finger Lakes region. The trail was known as the Dryden Lake Trail until it was renamed in 2002 in memory of the late town supervisor...
If you are near Corning, New York, and need a nice walk, check out this charming respite. The Painted Post Trail connects schools, playgrounds, other trails and residential neighborhoods west of...
The Vestal Rail Trail runs for nearly four miles through the town of Vestal along an abandoned right-of-way once used by the Delaware–Lackawana & Western Railroad. Today, the 12-foot-wide trail is...
The South Hill Recreation Way follows the southern rim of the Six Mile Creek gorge from the outskirts of southeast Ithaca to Burns Road, near the Ithaca Reservoir. The gravel path follows the former...
A pleasant walk between wetland habitat and farmland, this short community trail sits atop a sewer line that Corning Glassworks installed to serve its Big Flats plant. Corning provided the crushed...
Nothing could have prepared me for the experience of walking this trail and unfortunately the memory will be ingrained in my head for the foreseeable future. I went with my grandparents, intent on enjoying the nature and picturesque waterfalls. The first red flag should have been the singular car in the parking lot as we arrived, but we ventured out on our journey nonetheless. All began well as we made our way down the trail. As I swatted a couple mosquitoes from my face, I questioned why I hadn’t thought to use bug spray. We made our way deeper into the woods and this fleeting regret turned to all consuming contrition. The mosquitos and gnats were a cloud around us and my desperate flailing arms served as poor defense. We were in too deep before the situation got bad so we persisted towards the waterfall, needing our efforts to be fruitful. Just before I thought I couldn’t bear it anymore, the sound of rushing water was a beacon of hope shining through the dense cloud of insects tickling my skin. My grandparents and I admired the waterfall for a few minutes before deciding we needed to turn back. There was no way we could continue on through that inferno. Two miles. That’s all that stood between us and the safety of the car. We set off and the fury of the mosquitos seemed to increase exponentially. Left and right the little suckers were descending upon me, sucking my blood even through my clothes and buzzing in my ear with fierce perseverance. I knew the only solace would come from walking faster, but my grandparents wouldn’t be able to match the necessary speed. I stayed back with them until I thought I might throw myself into the river in an attempt to end my suffering. Eventually they gave me their blessing to do what I had to do, and therefore I set a furious pace. I felt bad leaving them behind, but I had to save myself. There was nothing I could do to help them. I did indeed leave them in the dust, pumping my arms as I tried to outrun the bugs. Apparently they had no mercy in their tiny souls because they refused to relent. My eyes were squeezed almost shut to prevent them from flying in and I was slapping my skin like a member of a high school step team. All I can say is it was a massacre. I was on the verge of tears and if I weren’t carrying a backpack and a camera I would have broken into a full out run. At this point I thought I’d also like to mention the weather conditions. It was around 90 degrees and the percent humidity was probably about the same. The sweat was cascading down every inch of my body as I was booking it and the fact that I didn’t care really says something about the situation. The swarm thinned as I drew closer to the parking lot and I almost cried in relief at the sight of car at the end. I had to then wait in the sun as my grandparents made their way back, hoping they hadn’t been consumed entirely by the bugs. Luckily, we all made it out alive, but not without the battle scars both physical and emotional that came with this experience. I went to bed that night, twitching with the phantom sensation of mosquitos on my skin, aching to forget the events of the day. All I can do now is recognize this hike as a piece of character development that has humbled me deeply for years to come.
With this being said, the trail is very nice and I just want to warn those hoping to go that they should proceed with caution and probably unload an entire can of bug spray on themselves before going.
The Pine Creek Trail is located in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. We rode the 62 mile trek in one day and what a wonderful ride it was. The trail is exceptionally well maintained and God has landscaped this trail with beautiful mountains on each side and (this summer) a flowing ‘creek’ along side. The 62 miles flowed so smoothly that we reached the end before we knew it.
Very simple trail, not very long. Be aware that the trail is also used for marathons and other races so if you're coming from away check on that first. Only downside is the parking area could use more shade for the summer time.
This trail is well maintained, scenic and a real jewel. One important thing - the trail is uphill from Cass Park in Ithaca. We started there and I'm glad we did, because it made our return trip a downhill nice and easy. Be sure to find the Falls Lookout at Taughannock Falls State Park.
My wife and I are from Harrisburg Pennsylvania and we are in Ithaca for a week to spend our vacation with her parents. Since we are here for a week we brought our bikes. My wife was born here and knows the terrain of the area. She was very hesitant to do this trail because of the hilly terrain in the area. I found the trail through this app. It is just like the reviews said gorgeous with a slight incline on the way up, 400ft in 8 miles. The trail was hard packed and smooth with gorgeous views and scenery. We started at Cass park and rode the 8 miles to the gorge. Coming back down was a breeze. I highly recommend this trail.
great trail!! there was really no bumps in the asphalt. it’s just hard to see the rivers/creeks because of the trees.
I did an out-and-back of about 24 miles starting from Wellsboro, on a warm Saturday in June 2021. This trail is almost perfectly flat, with only some very gentle elevations. It is sparsely travelled until you get closer to the Turkey Path Trail Waterfall at Little Fourmile Run. Around this point, I saw larger groups of cyclists and walkers, many with kids. All in all, it's a gorgeous trip, but what made it even better was discovering Pag-Omar Farms Market at the Wellsboro end! While I rested up, my husband walked over to Pag-Omar and got smoked chicken brisket, with some of the best sides I've tasted at any BBQ I've been to (and I lived in Texas for two years): slightly spicy, sweet baked beans; delicious coleslaw; and fantastic potato salad with dill. That made our day complete. I hope to do other sections of this RT in the future.
Great trail. Started in Watkins Glen and rode south to the very end, past where trail ends on the app. Last section pretty rough, so you won’t miss much if you don’t do it.
We found it very difficult to find the trail. We picked it up in Eldridge Park but it was poorly marked. Had to bike through residential neighborhoods. It isn't very scenic due to running parallel to I-86 and the traffic is noisy. Wooded on 1 side mostly but some spots it was on both sides. Loved the pavement. It's in excellent shape and effort is the same going in either direction, in my opinion. Will definitely ride again.
So much to see. Old mill, waterfalls and the creek is beautiful. There are places to stop and rest and picnic. Portable toilets available along the way. Great ride. Definitely will ride again.
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