My kids both handled their longest ever foot powered travail with aplomb at Beebe Lake today. With plenty to see and mostly shaded, they were much more interested in this one than some of the previous courses we did. We could probably cover the ground in half the time if every plant, seed, bug, bird, mammal, and reptile didn’t require careful observation and speculation about what it is or why it’s there. We played a variation of rarájipari while kicking a crabapple along the arboretum road, threw rocks into waterfalls, and nearly caught a common garter snake. All in all a good run.
With a break between work and the monthly FLRC board meeting, I took advantage of an overcast afternoon to get this course completed. I decided to run Beebe Lake clockwise, which is opposite from the directions, and I think that is the better way for me. It started to sprinkle just as I completed my jaunt around the lake. When I got back to my car I stood for a few moments letting the rain cool me down.
This morning, I noticed workers putting up a sign about the upcoming Beebe Lake Trail closure. Cornell has posted the following message today:
"The Beebe Lake Hydro Intake project is currently scheduled to take place from August 24, 2026, through September 4, 2026.
During this period, the following areas will be closed or have restricted access:
• Beebe Lake Trail – Closed. Please use alternate route – Forest Home Trail
• Beebe Lake Foot Bridge – Closed. Please use the Thurston Avenue Bridge as an alternate route.
• Beebe Lake Boat Storage Area – Access will be restricted.
• Area behind the Martin Y. Tang Welcome Center – Closed to pedestrian access."
Not sure whether there is a good way to reroute the Beebe Lake challenge course…
When I read the announcement, it thought it was the foot bridge at the west end of the lake that was going to be closed. If that’s the case, this reroute won’t work.
I think you are right, Keith. It sounds like the west foot bridge will be closed. The question is whether the east (Sackett) foot bridge will be closed as well. I emailed the Cornell person mentioned in the announcement for the clarification. If Sackett bridge and stairs to Fuertes Observatory are open we can use the following reroute:
I’m pretty sure it’s just the Beebe Lake Foot Bridge. I had suggested that we just avoid the course, but anyone who needs to run it while it’s closed could replace it with the Thurston Ave bridge. The times will be a bit slow because of the extra quarter mile, but the ground will be more than covered.
I ran the Beebe Lake course on this beautiful early evening without reading any of these posts. The closure forces you up the stairs to the Fuertes Observatory, as noted above. I ran along the grass to and across the back patio of Newman, and then across the Thurston Ave Bridge. Still scenic, just not as serene as the north shore of Beebe. Good fun, though, dodging students at that busy hour (5:30 pm). Certainly not a day for a PR! Sorry that I couldn’t also join the workout afterward, as I definitely need to build more mileage.
Thank you for all the updates re the trail closure. It helped me be a little more prepared while I ran Beebe as the third Tough Trail Challenge course this morning. The reroute up the observatory stairs and down the north campus walkway made for more tarmac on an already tarmac heavy Tough Trail 50k. The descent was fast and fun though! I finished with 4.11 miles on my watch, so it didn’t even add much despite feeling like a much wider detour.
After a short nap to refresh me, I started out. Missed a couple turns finding the trail in the arboretum. Moon was back in the sky and some broken clouds moved in. Fishing in PE class? That’s a first for me.
Certainly not a day for a PR! Sorry that I couldn’t also join the workout afterward, as I definitely need to build more mileage.
