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First Day Hikes Planned In All 50 States

A group of winter adventurers enjoy a First Day hike in a Vermont State Park.
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation
A group of winter adventurers enjoy a First Day hike in a Vermont State Park.

While many people plan to burn the midnight oil to ring in 2019, others are aiming to get out of bed and into nature on the first day of the New Year.

On January 1, all 50 states will offer free, guided First Day Hikes. The National Association of State Park Directors says nearly 55,000 people rang in 2018 by hiking more than 133,000 miles on the first day of the year.

“First Day Hikes started in Milton, Massachusetts at Blue Hills State Reservation on January 1, 1992,” said Priscilla Geigis, deputy commissioner for conservation and resource stewardship with Massachusetts’ Department of Conservation and Recreation. “It was started by then-park supervisor Pat Flynn, who really wanted to get people out to the park in the winter season.”

Geigis says 380 people showed up on that first day in 1992 and the commonwealth has been hosting New Year’s Day hikes ever since.

“So in our twentieth year here in Massachusetts in 2012, it actually went national,” Geigis said. “We challenged the other states to offer First Day Hikes. Many of the states had offered some First Day activities but this was the first time that America’s State Parks had offered First Day Hikes – a collective program for all 50 states.” 

Geigis, who was the national First Day Hike coordinator in 2012, says events are also planned in Canada. She says this time around, DCR is offering 12 guided hikes across the Bay State.

“We’re co-sponsoring a hike with the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center,” Geigis said. “That’s a hike that starts at 1 o’clock. It’s a two-mile stroll down the canal side rail trail and get folks started for the new year. We also have one in Granville. That starts at 10:30 [a.m.] and that’s a shorter hike, approximately three-quarters of a mile. That goes through the wonderful forested area.”  

“We have 75 sponsored hikes all the way from Niagara Falls to the Adirondacks, out to Long Island,” said Chris Rickard, park manager of Taconic State Park in Copake Falls, New York.  “In our Hudson Valley, we have Walkway Over the Hudson and FDR State Park.”

“We do a moderate hike into Massachusetts, a 1.5-mile hike to Bash Bish waterfall and Bash Bish State Park in Massachusetts and back,” Rickard said. “So three miles roundtrip. It’s made for all ages and its dog friendly. We actually have almost the same amount of dogs as we do people some years. We had last year about 30 dogs and probably about 40 people.”

Rickard says the Empire State started its First Day Hikes about eight years ago with roughly a dozen participating parks.

“Fall and early winter have been filled with lots of rain with some snow mix and then some thaw,” he said. “So the waterfalls I think statewide are going to be ripping and it’s going to be beautiful. So bring your cameras. Conditions are going to be perfect.”

Rochelle Skinner, the Vermont State Parks Sales and Service Manager, says on average 30 to 40 people attend the various hikes in the Green Mountain State, depending on the weather.

“The good news is that there is not a ton of snow so people can get probably by with just regular hiking boots and won’t necessarily need snowshoes,” Skinner said. “There will be a little bit of ice out there though so boots or maybe microspikes might work well. But there is no new snowstorms in the forecast so we’re looking at hopefully an easy walk.”

Skinner says the three state-sponsored First Day Hikes in Vermontare guided by either a naturalist or area expert.

“This year, there’s a hike up Mt. Ascutney,” she said. “That’s not necessarily a summit hike, but it is designed for all ages. It might go up the mountain road or one of the trails. Mt. Ascutney is what’s known as a monadnock, which is a mountain that stands on its own. So it’s a great way to get up in elevation and see the surrounding area, but on an easy hike. Another hike is in the Northeast Kingdom around the Lake Willoughby area. That hike is going to go past Long Pond. It’s going to have great views of Lake Willoughby, the surrounding cliffs and the surrounding valleys. Then another really family-friendly hike is going to take place at the Groton Nature Center. The Groton Nature Center sits in the 26,000-acre Groton State Forest and there’s all kinds of trails, loop trails, totally family appropriate and guided by someone who is very familiar with the area and can point out the various flora, fauna and animal tracks.”

Officials say hikers should be prepared with a first aid kit, cell phone and plenty of water, know their physical capabilities and let others know where they are going to be.

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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