I wanted to share some updates from the Tompkins County Parks and Trails Network meeting (and other conversations) last week:
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The Ithacatrails.org website has been redesigned and updated; it’s a great resource.
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Bids are being taken again for the Dryden Rail Trail bridge over Rt 13 after a previous bid fell through. Word on the street is that it’s going well (getting a low bid that’s within budget) so with luck, we may see that bridge work next year.
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With funding in part from FLRC, former FLRC board member Charlie Trautmann’s Engineering in the Community class at Cornell is designing and building a bridge over a washout on the Dryden Rail Trail segment from Pinckney Road (near NYSEG) to Rt 366 in Etna. That should be happening next spring.
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In conjunction with the Cayuga Nordic Ski Club, Cycle CNY, and the Friends of Hammond Hill, FLRC is funding a portable toilet at the Hammond Hill parking lot on what is intended to be a year-round basis. There’s also a possibility of funding one next summer on the Black Diamond Trail on Cayuga Nature Center land, but there are various issues that people are working on.
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Lansing is conducting a survey to see what residents and others might want in a town-wide trail system. If you would use Lansing trails, please participate!
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The Coddington Valley Rail Trail extension to the South Hill Rec Way is becoming ever-more real. It too has some washouts that will require work in the future, but it’s open and somewhat passable. The agreement the towns have with NYSEG is to it extend all the way to the Tompkins/Tioga county line (roughly White Church Road), which means it will connect to the Finger Lakes Trail. This will likely take considerable time. Joe McMahon of the Cayuga Nordic Ski Club gave me permission to post his report to their list, and he wanted me to add that if you’re going to run on it during the winter, please avoid the ski tracks.
Greetings Skiers,
A wait of over two decades came to an end today when I skied from the big city to Brooktondale on the recently extended rail trail. The boundries and logistics are complicated: the South Hill Rec Way will be extended and under the auspices of the Town of Ithaca Parks Department until it crosses the line at the town of Dryden between Burns Road and German Cross Road. From there, it passes through a sliver of Danby, and then Caroline between Banks and Middaugh. (Are you taking notes?) The important take-away of this is that once it leaves the Town of Ithaca, it will become the Coddington Valley Rail Trail. Southeast of Burns Rd it is still a driveway to a private house, but thankfully, the new owners of the house and adjacent land are supportive of the trail being open. Like the trail, their driveway is on a right-of-way granted by the owner, NYSEG.
It is important to consider that even though NYSEG owns the land the trail is on, unlike the Rec Way on the other side of Burns where the City of Ithaca owns much land on both sides of the trail, all land on both sides of the extension are privately held. Many of the parcells on both sides of the trail are owned by single landowners, some have considered the trail as part of their property for decades. It is essential that trail users respect private property rights to maintain civil engagement with these property owners. Stay on the trail!
A friends of group has been formed and there have been several work parties to clear the trail and make it passable. So far, all the work has been done with hand tools. In its current state, you can traverse it by foot, bike, and now, skis! Until the draught ended, it was quite dry and not too rough. Drainage is especially problematic for a few stretches between Burns and German Cross, but with the temperature above freezing today, getting my skis a little wet wasn’t a problem. It’s going to take incredible patience to have the trail closed again at some point while improvements are made with large, motorized equipment, but it will be necessary.
Between Banks Road and Middaugh Road, the railbed has been washed out by two gullies. The first one that is encountered after leaving Banks has a foot path to get past it (not skiable today), and then a larger one about half-a-mile beyond that. There has been no work-around for that one yet. About a quarter of a mile past the second washout is a farm that was intentionally planted and designed to prevent the rail trail from ever crossing Middaugh Road. Logistics are being worked out to address that too, but for now it is not passable whether you are coming from Banks Rd or Middaugh.
There is limited parking on Burns Rd, none on German Cross, and a small, gravel lot at Banks. The one on Banks was created by a private landowner along the trail, but it is now a school bus turnaround. Do not park on the shoulder of Banks between the trail and Coddington as the property owner has already expressed displeasure of having cars on any part of their land.
As most of the people on this list have come to expect, I have something to say about dogs off leash. The South Hill Rec Way is a Town of Ithaca Park, and much of the land adjacent to it is owned by the City of Ithaca. Both have leash laws. From what I can tell by looking at town websites, Dryden, Danby and Caroline do not have leash requirements, but have wording indicating that dogs must be under the owner’s control. Yelling out to someone that your dog is friendly as they bark and run towards them is not an example of having control. Nor is allowing your dog to run unrestricted on private property adjacent to a public trail.
That’s a lot of writing to say I am thrilled to finally be able to get from practically downtown to Brooktondale on skis. Conditions were not great today, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get between Burns and German Cross if there was any less snow, and the snow got pretty soft when it warmed up around noon, but I got there and back. With side trips over some of the level trails off the Rec Way, it totaled roughly 12 miles. That’s considerably better than doing trail work in the rain.
Happy trails,
Joe
thanks FLRC!