Black Diamond Trail

This Rail Trail is part of the old line that was once the flagship passenger line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Known as the Black Diamond Express, this luxury passenger service ran from New York to Buffalo from 1896 until 1959. Recreationists will experience a range of natural landscapes from a towering canopy of mature maple, hemlock, oak, and hickory, to views of pastoral agricultural lands, and dozens of ravines with the sounds of cascading waters all heading for the picturesque Cayuga Lake. This 8.5-mile stone-dust path along the upland slopes of Cayuga Lake makes for an enjoyable family-oriented walk, bike, or even cross-country skiing opportunity from the city limits of Ithaca to the 215 foot waterfall, Taughannock Falls.