Yale Athletics Outdoor Education Center (OEC). Photo provided by Tom Migdalski.
New England’s summer session is in full swing, and the university’s Outdoor Recreation Center is open through Labor Day. Lori Bruce, associate director, Yale Center for Bioethics, has been vacationing with her family there since 2018 and is excited about making plans to rent a cabin again with her two boys.
“In the early mornings, the lake is as smooth as glass, and I drink coffee from the deck of the cabin, watching the world wake up. It’s blissful,” she said.
The OEC was founded and named by Yale Medal recipient Edward C. Migdalski who managed the Center from its creation in 1966 to 1984, when his son Tom took over as director. Migdalski passed away in 2009 at age 91. He was a pioneer of the outdoor-recreation concept and club-sports movement nationally, and the author of nine outdoor-sports books, primarily on fishing. Before joining the Athletics Department in 1966, Ed was a world explorer, specimen collector, and taxidermist at Yale’s Peabody Museum. His taxidermy work is on view in the fish display case on the OEC boat dock.
Located on 1,500 wooded acres, Yale Athletics’ Outdoor Education Center (OEC) snuggles up to the south shore of mile-long Powers Lake in East Lyme, northwest of Niantic and 42 miles from New Haven. There are nine cabins and nine campsites to rent, places to picnic, a new hiking trail, and fresh water in which to row, kayak, paddleboard, swim, or fish.
“My sons catch shimmery fish in the early morning,” added Bruce. “We kayak to the far side of the lake and find the blueberry bushes, picking enough to make jam. Every time we vacation there in the cabins, we discover something new.”
The OEC is available to members of the Yale community via membership, day-use passes, or rentals. Individual and family summer memberships are $150 and $225, respectively; day-use passes for ages six and up are $12 when purchased in advance and $15 on-site. Rentals not only include cabins and campsites, but also a pavilion, dining hall, gazebo, and round table area.
Kylie Stannard, the 5K Corral Head Coach of Yale Men’s Soccer, found out about the OEC in 2022 and has spent summer days there with his family ever since. “We love everything about the OEC. Having small children, the beach access, and enclosed setting is a perfect way to have fun in the water, play in the sand, and not have to worry about the kids every second because of the multiple lifeguards on duty.”
“Every time we vacation there in the cabins, we discover something new.”
In addition to the beach, the OEC’s large, H-shaped aluminum dock is ideal for swimming in the lake. A nearby wooden dock houses six rowboats and allows for fishing. The extended beach offers eight single- and two-person kayaks and 12 standup-paddleboards. All paddle craft can be used only during supervised waterfront hours.
Nathan Novemsky, professor of marketing and psychology, has been visiting the OEC for 10 years. What he loves most about the center is “the natural beauty of the lake, which is completely free of development on its shores. It is set in a forest and really is a serene place to go, especially with one’s family.”