Running trails in Ithaca, NY
Ithaca has 19 trails in the directory — 2 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, and 4 open 24 hours. 14 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 18,917 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Buttermilk Falls State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 6,036 reviews
811-acres of wooded parkland featuring hiking paths, a lake, waterfall & campgrounds.
Robert H. Treman State Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 4,281 reviews
Gorge with scenic waterfalls & a stream-fed swimming hole ringed by hiking trails & camping areas.
Ithaca Falls Natural Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 2,972 reviews
This park with a 150-foot waterfall also features ruins of 19th-century mills & areas for fishing.
Stewart Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,217 reviews
Lakefront park with golf, tennis, playground, carousel, athletic fields, duck pond & spray pool.
Cascadilla Gorge Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,279 reviews
Part of the Cornell Plantations Path, this walkway offers views of the the gorge & its waterfall.
Ithaca Falls Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 1,117 reviews
Hiking area featuring a short trail that leads to a waterfall.
Gorge Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 414 reviews
Steep 0.65-mi. hiking trail along a gorge with dramatic rock formations, waterfalls & pools.
Mulholland Wildflower Preserve
4.7 ★★★★★ 276 reviews
Designated in 1970, this nature park offers trails, waterfalls, rock formations & wildlife viewing.
Danby State Forest
4.6 ★★★★★ 114 reviews
National forest with kid-friendly hikes and camping opportunities.
Black Diamond Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 17 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Ithaca
- Match the surface to your legs. Ithaca gives you a choice: 2 natural surface and 2 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Ithaca is Robert H. Treman State Park at 2 mi.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 4 trails in Ithaca are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 14 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 11 have trailhead parking, 2 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Ithaca. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 2 with mile markers, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 8 dog-friendly, and 1 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Ithaca trails by type
Running trails near Ithaca
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.