{"id":1969,"date":"2018-11-12T15:56:54","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T20:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/?page_id=1969"},"modified":"2026-01-13T15:00:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:00:58","slug":"what-to-do-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/visit\/what-to-do-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do: Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large featured\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-1280x960.jpg\" alt=\"Egg shaped cairn in the woods\" class=\"wp-image-1996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-1280x960.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Cairn-McCartney-FI-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The egg cairn by Andy Goldsworthy. <em>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/4HJ9Vn\">Elaina McCartney<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Our Visitor Center is nestled in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary, a 425-acre nature preserve that&#8217;s beautiful to visit in any season. Sapsucker Woods encompasses forests, ponds, swamps, and abundant wildlife. Pick up a map at the front entrance or join a guided walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignright order-bottom is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sidebar-alignnone left-border is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plan Your Visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-font-family has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Cornell Lab of Ornithology<\/strong><br>159 Sapsucker Woods Rd.<br>Ithaca, NY 14850 (<a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/wPSHyzqJU6T2\">map<\/a>)<br>1-800-843-BIRD (2473)<br>1-607-254-2473<br><a href=\"mailto:ornithfrontdesk@cornell.edu\">ornithfrontdesk@cornell.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-font-family has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Visitor Center and Wild Birds Unlimited Store<\/strong>: Tuesday\u2013Sunday 10AM to 4PM. Closed Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-font-family has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Trails:<\/strong>\u00a0Open daily, dawn to dusk. No dogs or bicycles please. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Map-of-Sapsucker-Woods.pdf\">Download the trail map<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sans-font-family has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Admission:<\/strong>&nbsp;Free<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Five miles of trails&nbsp;<\/strong>lead you through forest, old field, wetlands, and pond edge. Trails are on mulched paths or boardwalks and are mostly level. People love to visit Sapsucker Woods for birding, nature walks, and trail runs. The trails are fairly easy going but are not recommended for wheelchairs. Please do not bring dogs or bicycles. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Map-of-Sapsucker-Woods.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/TrailMap_May2023.pdf\">Download the trail map<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Guided bird walks. <\/strong>We are partnering with the Cayuga Bird Club to host Weekly Bird Walks on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Visitor Center. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/visit\/events\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1248\">More information<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Visit the egg cairn<\/strong>&nbsp;created by renowned natural sculptor and artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/andy-goldsworthy-and-the-sapsucker-cairn\/#\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.allaboutbirds.org\/news\/andy-goldsworthy-and-the-sapsucker-cairn\/#\">Andy Goldsworthy<\/a> during his residency at Cornell University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bring along a printed trail guide<\/strong>&nbsp;for your walk. See a full list of downloadable&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/guides-and-activities-for-your-visit\/\">guides and activities<\/a> for your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.secondary-nav li.menu-item-1984 { position: relative; text-decoration: none; font-weight: 700; }\n.secondary-nav li.menu-item-1984:after { background: var(--accent-color); bottom: 0; content: \"\"; display: block; left: 0; position: absolute; height: 4px; transition: opacity .4s ease; width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull global-cta sapsucker has-gold-background-color has-background remove-margin-top negative-margin-bottom add-padding-top add-padding-bottom is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-xlarge-font-size\">Sign Up for eNews<\/h2>\n\n\n<script>(function() {\n\twindow.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || {\n\t\tlisteners: [],\n\t\tforms: {\n\t\t\ton: function(evt, cb) {\n\t\t\t\twindow.mc4wp.listeners.push(\n\t\t\t\t\t{\n\t\t\t\t\t\tevent   : evt,\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcallback: cb\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t);\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t}\n\t}\n})();\n<\/script><!-- Mailchimp for WordPress v4.12.2 - https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/mailchimp-for-wp\/ --><form id=\"mc4wp-form-1\" class=\"mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-9819 mc4wp-ajax\" method=\"post\" data-id=\"9819\" data-name=\"Sapsucker Woods eNewsletter\" ><div class=\"mc4wp-form-fields\"><fieldset role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Newsletter options\">\r\n    <label>\r\n        <input name=\"INTERESTS[e49185fbaf][]\" type=\"checkbox\" value=\"6e74794903\"\r\n        checked=\"true\"> <span>Sapsucker Woods eNews (Ithaca local events, etc)<\/span>\r\n    <\/label>\r\n<\/fieldset>\r\n \r\n<label for=\"mc-email\">Email address: <\/label>\r\n<input type=\"email\" name=\"EMAIL\" id=\"mc-email\" placeholder=\"Your email address\" required \/>\r\n<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Sign up\" class=\"button-left\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div><label style=\"display: none !important;\">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type=\"text\" name=\"_mc4wp_honeypot\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\" \/><\/label><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_timestamp\" value=\"1780641294\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_id\" value=\"9819\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_mc4wp_form_element_id\" value=\"mc4wp-form-1\" \/><div class=\"mc4wp-response\"><\/div><\/form><!-- \/ Mailchimp for WordPress Plugin -->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bottom-caption is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p>Yellow-bellied Sapsucker by <a href=\"https:\/\/macaulaylibrary.org\/asset\/615033849\">Sasha Cahill \/ Macaulay Library<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our grounds are beautiful to visit in any season. Explore the forests, ponds, and abundant wildlife of Sapsucker Woods\u2014pick up a map at the front entrance or join a guided walk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17316,"parent":1229,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_birdpress_hero_toggle":false,"_birdpress_hero_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_image_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_style":"default","_birdpress_hero_ratio":"","_birdpress_hero_h1":"","_birdpress_hero_media_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_media_array_id":[],"_birdpress_hero_media_array":[],"_birdpress_hero_media":0,"_birdpress_hero_video_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_video":0,"_birdpress_hero_youtube":"","_birdpress_hero_content":true,"_birdpress_hero_byline":"","_birdpress_hero_byline_bottom":"","_birdpress_hero_button_link":"","_birdpress_hero_button_text":"","_birdpress_hero_button_color":"","_birdpress_hero_date":false,"original_guid":"","_birdpress_hide_search":false,"_birdpress_page_width":"","_birdpress_global_cta":true,"_birdpress_widget_sidebar":"","_birdpress_next_article":0,"_birdpress_next_article_title":"","_birdpress_prev_article":0,"_birdpress_prev_article_title":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_id":72,"_birdpress_sub_navigation":"Visit Us","_birdpress_sub_navigation_title":true,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation":"","_birdpress_postType":"both","_birdpress_categoryID":0,"_birdpress_tagID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostTitle":"","_birdpress_menuID":0,"_birdpress_menuName":"","_birdpress_listHeader":"","_birdpress_listLayout":"card-display","_birdpress_listColumns":"","_birdpress_maxItems":12,"_birdpress_listPaginate":true,"_birdpress_displaySort":true,"_birdpress_sortOrder":"DESC","_birdpress_sortBy":"date","_birdpress_listID":"","_birdpress_listClass":"","_birdpress_displayImages":true,"_birdpress_displayCaptions":false,"_birdpress_displayExcerpts":false,"_birdpress_attTop":"","_birdpress_attBottom":"","_birdpress_showLogos":false,"_birdpress_post_logo":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1969","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1969\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}