RailTrailWxRailTrailWxRail trail guide
Tompkins County, NY
A 9.03 mile rail trail in NY.
Connecting trails: Cayuga Waterfront Trail, Taughannock Falls State Park rim trails
Planning a ride? Check the hourly forecast.
The corridor carried the Lehigh Valley Railroad, whose flagship passenger train, the Black Diamond Express, ran from New York City to Buffalo from its first trip in 1896 until 1959. The Lehigh Valley picked the name from more than 35,000 contest entries, honoring the anthracite coal the line was built to haul; the winning entry came from Charles Montgomery, a hotel clerk in Toledo, Ohio. Promoted as 'The Handsomest Train in the World,' the 315-foot train served Ithaca on a secondary line rather than the double-track main line to the west, and newlyweds bound for Niagara Falls earned it the nickname 'Honeymoon Express.' After the last run in May 1959 the line was abandoned, and over the following decades Taughannock Falls State Park acquired the roadbed and rebuilt it as this trail.
Hour by hour scores for heat, wind, rain, and shade on Black Diamond Trail.
Free account required for most trails. Pine Creek is free for everyone.
