ULYSSES — The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in late July announced more than $1 million in upgrades to a popular Southern Tier multi-use trail connecting the city of Ithaca with Taughannock Falls State Park in the town of Ulysses. The improvements — an enhanced bridge crossing, new restrooms and […]
ULYSSES — The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in late July announced more than $1 million in upgrades to a popular Southern Tier multi-use trail connecting the city of Ithaca with Taughannock Falls State Park in the town of Ulysses.
The improvements — an enhanced bridge crossing, new restrooms and a new parking lot — provide a more welcoming experience for people who enjoy walking, running, and biking on the Black Diamond Trail, New York State Parks contends.
“Trailways like the Black Diamond Trail provide New Yorkers with an affordable and healthy option to explore their communities and enjoy the great outdoors,” New York State Parks Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons said in the announcement. “These improvements make this already-popular trail even better, will benefit hikers, cyclists and skiers, and further strengthen the connection between Taughannock Falls and Ithaca and our communities.”
The $1.4 million State Parks project includes a new 70-vehicle parking lot and year-round public restrooms at the trail’s northern end near the park’s famous 215-foot waterfall, as well as rehabilitation of a historical railroad trestle that serves as the connecting bridge between the park’s North and South rim trails. The restroom building’s design aesthetic echoes a train depot, in keeping with the trail’s railroad history.
The 8.4-mile northern segment of the Black Diamond Trail follows the route of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad and connects Ithaca’s Cass Park and the Allan H. Treman State Marine Park to Taughannock Falls State Park, New York State Parks says. The stone-dust route ranges from mature forests of maple, hemlock, oak, and hickory to views of rustic agricultural lands, and dozens of ravines where cascading waters flow toward Cayuga Lake.
This rail trail is part of the former flagship passenger line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Known as the Black Diamond Express, this luxury train passenger service ran from New York City to Buffalo from 1896 until 1959.
