"Most likely, BUF given WN flies there and has unrestricted award inventory. Any thoughts on that specific driving route?"

AA and UA also have unrestricted award inventory; it's just a question of how many miles you are willing to pay. WN's award seats are priced based on the available cash price, so a WN award seat will not necessarily be a bargain, but might still cost fewer miles than an AA or UA unrestricted award to SYR.

Once you figure out where you are flying into, and whether you will be driving directly to Ithaca or going to your hotel first, let us know, and we can better advise you re: driving directions. But what you'll find on MapQuest is likely to be what you should go with.