As we’ve looked at in the past, our area owes a lot of its growth and development to the railroad. They aren’t what they once were, and arguably they don’t need to be. But as their tide has receded, they’ve left their mark on our shore, in terms of rail trails.
It’s one of those ideas that seems blazingly obvious once somebody puts it on the table. Take now-disused rail beds and turn them into trails for hiking, biking, and walking. They may offer a transportation advantage, and they certainly provide an opportunity for fresh air and exercise in the great outdoors.
On top of that, the trails tend to be straight, smooth, and level – just what the railroads want. That makes rail trails especially welcome to the older, the younger, the visually impaired, or anyone who has trouble with balance.
The 2011 Rails-to-Trails Conservancy guide book, “Rail-Trails Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York,” lists four trails right near us. Working outward from Corning we find:
1)The Painted Post Trail (roughness index 2). This is a very nice paved urban trail, just over a mile long. Because it slides through the neighborhoods of Painted Post – crossing over North Hamilton and under Victory Highway – you almost always meet others, from elderly folks enjoying a stroll to young families leading (or pushing) toddlers and teens or adults tossing Frisbees to dogs. There’s a historic cemetery on the way, plus the old DL&W depot, now Town of Erwin Museum, and one terminus is in Craig Park. The last time I was there, a couple of months back, construction blocked my way west from the depot.
2)The Big Flats Trail (roughness index 2). If you’ve had enough of the mall for a while, stop by Sperr Park on Kahler Road and spend some time on this lovely partly-paved trail. You’re just off I-86, just outside Consumer Square, and parallel to an active rail line. But it’s such a quiet, lovely walk. East of Kahler the trees overhang and reach each other, so it seems like you’re walking through a green tunnel. West of Kahler you walk along the park with its two ponds, keeping eyes peeled for waterfowl, and then through brushy fields and meadows with plenty of sky overhead. Sometimes you even see a sailplane. Big Flats Trail is 1.7 miles long.
3)Lambs Creek Hike and Bike Trail (roughness index 1 – the smoothest). This trail runs three and a half miles north from Mansfield, Pennsylvania (starting near the IGA). I’ve been on parts of this trail, but it’s been quite a while. It parallels the Tioga River, and the northern terminus is a a boat launch in Lambs Creek Recreation Area.
4)The Keuka Outlet Trail (roughness index 3 – the roughest). Wow! Who can say enough about this seven-mile trail between Penn Yan and Dresden? With just a little more walking on the east end, you can hike from Keuka Lake to Seneca Lake. At Penn Yan you can start by the ball field, go through a little park, cross the Outlet, walk under Main Street, and cross the Outlet again… meantime taking in the way the lovely stream and the ancient industrial architecture complement each other.
The guidebook includes such not-too-far-away trails as Ontario Pathways Rail Trail (Canandaigua to Stanley) and Genesee Valley Greenway (Cuba to Rochester). Missing from the book are our Catharine Valley Trail (Horseheads to Watkins Glen) and the Lackawanna Rail Trail, from Eldridge Park to Water Street and the Chemung River. (This one is neat because part of the time you walk a berm or causeway, looking down on Elmira.) I’ve done some or parts of all of them, and they’re all great. Hike, bike, stroll, amble. They’re not hard to get to, and they’re not hard to manage. Carpe viam (seize the way)!