Boater Rating:
Ithaca has very little convenient docking except at the local restaurants and Treman State Marine Park, which is a good distance from town, but the town itself is a cultural gem, largely due to Cornell University and Ithaca College. It is disappointing that the town has very few options for the visiting boater.
Where to Dock
 | Treman State Marine Park has leased slips that are unavailable to transient boaters; you can stop and use the facilities for a limited amount of time, but the walk to town is prohibitive and there are no stores nearby. |
| Johnson's boat yard provides a good amount of boating equipment and provides fuel, but there is no transient docking for the day or overnight boater. |
| Ithaca's Farmer's Market has a small dock with enough room for a few small boats, but if you can find space you can pick up fresh food and visit this Ithaca landmark. |
| Stewart Park has no docking facilities. |
Recommendations to the Town
Our suggestion to the town is to create a long docking platform or terminal wall similar to the one in Seneca Falls. A parallel dock of this type would have little impact on the already Spartan sites along the shore (including a DOT storage facility and the older buildings lining the inlet), and could serve dozens of boaters. It would enhance the future waterfront plans, and provide revenue via docking fees. The local TCat bus system could transport boaters to the Commons and various shopping centers and the new waterfront walkway would give boaters access to nearby restaurants and Stewart Park.
Captains Note: I attended an Ithaca town meeting regarding a proposed walkway around the southern section of the Cayuga Lake waterfront, which is encouraging to boaters as it may provide some more docking facilities. But the wheels of progress are not well greased in Ithaca, so I do not expect major change for many years. A local "anti-everything" fanatic ruined that meeting and my efforts to find out what docking was going to be provided - but supposedly development is underway. Visit the Cayuga Waterfront Trail Website for more information.