Best walking routes in Ithaca

8 routes ranked on sights, efficiency, hills & length — real foot distance and elevation.

3.5 scoreHills 1/106.7 kmBest —
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Ranked routes

Same score for every walk. Click a card to expand details on the map.

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#1
Viewpoint

One Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk

1 hour

6 stops1.7 km1 h

1.7 kmdistance1 hwith stops6stops+66 mgain
2.1 sights7.7 efficiency1.1 hills8.5 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 25 min+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+66 m climb along route
  1. Llenroc House
  2. Deke House
  3. Telluride House
  4. Sage Chapel
  5. McGraw Tower
  6. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
176–244 m

Photo: ViewpointJerrye & Roy Klotz, MDCC BY-SA 4.0

4.4/10
#2
Viewpoint

Ithaca in One Day: Walking Itinerary

One day

16 stops9.7 km3 h 50 min

Inside visits push a full day to ~5 h 10 min.

Inside: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (~1 h) + St. James AME Zion Church (~20 min). Estimates only.

9.7 kmdistance3 h 50 minwith stops16stops~5 h 10 minfull day+54 mgain
2.0 sights7.1 efficiency0.9 hills9.7 length
Open in Google Maps 1/2 ↗Open in Google Maps 2/2 ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 2 h 10 min+ up to 2 h 40 min insides+54 m climb along route
  1. Wildflower Preserve
  2. Cornell Botanic Gardens
  3. Andrew Dickson White House
  4. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (inside ~1 h)
  5. McGraw Tower
  6. Sage Chapel
  7. Telluride House
  8. Deke House
  9. Llenroc House
  10. Boardman House
  11. Clinton Block
  12. State Theatre
  13. St. James AME Zion Church (inside ~20 min)
  14. Kitchen Theatre Company
  15. Sciencenter
  16. Stewart Park
114–275 m

Photo: ViewpointDmadeoCC BY-SA 3.0

4.4/10
#3
Viewpoint

Ithaca Loop Walk from State Theatre

Loop

9 stops6.2 km2 h 20 min

6.2 kmdistance2 h 20 minwith stops9stops+136 mgain
2.0 sights7.2 efficiency2.3 hills6.1 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 25 min+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+136 m climb along route
  1. State Theatre
  2. Deke House
  3. Telluride House
  4. Sage Chapel
  5. McGraw Tower
  6. Andrew Dickson White House
  7. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
  8. Ithaca Falls
  9. Llenroc House
123–255 m

Photo: ViewpointNotyourbroomCC BY 3.0

3.9/10
#4
Viewpoint

Hidden Gems of Ithaca in 2 Hours

Hidden gems

5 stops2.8 km1 h 10 min

2.8 kmdistance1 h 10 minwith stops5stops+40 mgain
1.2 sights7.3 efficiency0.7 hills7.9 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 35 min+ up to 20 min insides+40 m climb along route
  1. St. James AME Zion Church
  2. Kitchen Theatre Company
  3. Clinton Block
  4. Boardman House
  5. Six-mile Park
122–163 m

Photo: ViewpointZipzipzipCC BY-SA 3.0

3.7/10
#5
Viewpoint

Ithaca Stairs & Hills Walk

Hilly Stairs Walk

9 stops8.2 km2 h 50 min

8.2 kmdistance2 h 50 minwith stops9stops+32 mgain
2.6 sights7.2 efficiency0.5 hills0.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 50 min+ up to 2 h 20 min insides+32 m climb along route
  1. Cornell Botanic Gardens
  2. Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
  3. McGraw Tower
  4. Sage Chapel
  5. Telluride House
  6. Llenroc House
  7. State Theatre
  8. Sciencenter
  9. Stewart Park
114–260 m

Photo: ViewpointCornell010 at English WikipediaPublic domain

3.1/10
#6
Viewpoint

Ithaca Parks Walk

Parks

5 stops6.3 km2 h 10 min

6.3 kmdistance2 h 10 minwith stops5stops+27 mgain
2.4 sights6.3 efficiency0.5 hills2.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 1 h 25 min+ up to 1 h insides+27 m climb along route
  1. Cornell Botanic Gardens
  2. Beebe Lake
  3. Ithaca Falls
  4. Sciencenter
  5. Stewart Park
115–259 m

Photo: ViewpointKenneth C. ZirkelCC BY-SA 4.0

3.1/10
#7
Viewpoint

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Ithaca

Walking tour

11 stops8.6 km3 h 10 min

8.6 kmdistance3 h 10 minwith stops11stops+37 mgain
1.7 sights7.0 efficiency0.6 hills0.9 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 2 h+ up to 1 h 20 min insides+37 m climb along route
  1. Wildflower Preserve
  2. Beebe Lake
  3. Andrew Dickson White House
  4. Deke House
  5. Boardman House
  6. Clinton Block
  7. State Theatre
  8. St. James AME Zion Church
  9. Kitchen Theatre Company
  10. Sciencenter
  11. Stewart Park
114–264 m

Photo: ViewpointHlevy2CC BY-SA 4.0

2.8/10
#8
Viewpoint

Hidden Gems of Ithaca: Off-the-Beaten-Path Walk

Hidden gems

11 stops10.2 km3 h 50 min

10.2 kmdistance3 h 50 minwith stops11stops+155 mgain
1.4 sights7.1 efficiency2.6 hills0.0 length
Open in Google Maps ↗
Stops & elevation
Walking only 2 h 20 min+ up to 20 min insides+155 m climb along route
  1. Six-mile Park
  2. Boardman House
  3. Clinton Block
  4. St. James AME Zion Church
  5. Kitchen Theatre Company
  6. Farmers' Market
  7. Ithaca Falls
  8. Andrew Dickson White House
  9. Beebe Lake
  10. Wildflower Preserve
  11. Cornell Botanic Gardens
117–264 m

Photo: ViewpointNotyourbroomCC BY 3.0

2.7/10

Hills: higher = steeper along the walk. Stairs (when shown): metres of mapped stairways near the route — approximate, not a step countvisit times are estimates.

Ithaca walking stats

From the 8 rated routes72 stops total20 unique places.

Most climbHidden Gems of Ithaca: Off-the-Beaten-Path Walk+155 m along route
Most stops / kmOne Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk3.5 stops per km
Least climbIthaca Parks Walk+27 m along route
Most stairsIthaca in One Day: Walking Itinerary~80 m mapped stairways (approx., not step count)
Longest / shortest10.2 km1.7 kmHidden Gems of Ithaca: Off-the-Beaten-Path Walk / One Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk
Places on routes20unique stop ids
How we score. Same formula for every route: Sights 50% (how notable the stops are)Efficiency 25% (less backtracking between stops)Hills 10% (how steep the walk is)Length fit 15% (distance vs the kind of walk). Stairs stay a fact in metres, not a quality bar. Avg score in the hero is the mean across all ranked walks.

Ithaca FAQ

Short answers from this city’s data.

Best first-visit walk?
One Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk (1.7 km, 1 h with stops) ranks #1 here.
Best months to walk Ithaca?
Most months work — check local weather before you go.
Shortest walk?
One Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk1.7 km, walking 25 min.
One hour in Ithaca?
One Hour in Ithaca: A Short Walk: walking 25 min, with stops 1 h, 6 stops.
One-day plan?
Ithaca in One Day: Walking Itinerary: 16 stops, ~3 h 50 min on-route; suggested insides on marked stops; full day ≈ 5 h 10 min. Visit times are estimates.
Stairs and hills?
Hills is 10% of the score (higher = steeper along the walk). Stairs are not scored — when shown, they are metres of mapped stairways near the route (approximate; not a step count). Example: stairways ≈ 0 m.
Can I change stops?
Yes — open in Maps, edit, then paste into Lineo for a cleaner order.
Why are some Google Maps links split?
Google Maps caps how many stops fit in one directions link (we use 11). Longer walks are split into numbered buttons (1/2, 2/2, …). Open them in order — each part starts where the previous one ended.