Town of Dryden Rail Trail

This is the official page of the Town of Dryden Rail Trail, maintained by the Dryden Rail Trail Task Force. The Dryden Rail Trail is a 14-mile, multi-use trail that is both a recreational trail and a commuter route that spans across the Town of Dryden. The trail was historically part of the Lehigh Railroad system, but now welcomes pedestrians, bicycles, and horses within scenic natural settings. N

umerous activities can be enjoyed, including Users of the trail can enjoy healthy exercise by walking or hiking, jogging, birdwatching, horseback riding, and bicycling along a quiet green corridor. along a quiet green corridor. In the winter, the trail is not maintained, affording additional opportunities for skiing and snowshoeing. but hikers, skiers, horseback riders, and snowshoers are welcome to use the trail.The Dryden Rail Trail passes through residential, rural, and protected natural lands, as well as through the villages of Dryden and Freeville, and the hamlets of Etna and Varna. Presently, the trail is open along two main sections. The eastern section connects the Village of Freeville to the Village of Dryden, and then continues south to Dryden Lake and beyond to Pervis Road where it connects to the Finger Lakes Trail. Benches every half mile provide rest stops and interpretive signs mark natural and historical features. Dryden Lake Park provides rest rooms, fishing, and picnic shelters. The trail also passes through Cornell Botanic Gardens Pervis Road Wetlands Natural Area, which contains active beaver dams and various wetland habitats, making it an ideal site for wildlife viewing, particularly for migrant and wetland birds. The western section’s terminus is currently at Route 13 and runs towards Game Farm Road where it crosses two refurbished historic railroad trestles before meeting the paved East Hill Recreation Way Trail. The Town of Dryden intends to connect the two sections, and when fully complete, the trail will link Dryden to Ithaca and the rest of Tompkins County. Starting at the western border of the Town of Dryden, the trail will eventually connect to the East Ithaca Recreation Way at Game Farm Road. As a multi-use trail, it is set apart from Dryden’s many recreational trails by a distinguishing feature--in addition to encouraging recreational enjoyment, it will provide a continuous cross-town route for off-road alternative transportation. This is a legacy community project that will ultimately connect Dryden's, its communities, businesses, schools, and parks to each other, and to other parts of the county, in a unique and sustainable way.