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Get off the couch, and get outdoors on a First Day Hike
By Tom Adkinson
December 22, 2023
Hikers at Maine’s Two Lights State Park are among the first people in America to see daylight on a January 1 First Day Hike. Image courtesy of America’s State Parks
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State parks across the nation are primed to make sure you start the new year on a healthy note. Their goal is to get you off your couch and onto a trail through a program called First Day Hikes.
You can thank the state parks in Massachusetts for launching the idea for a calorie-burning activity every January 1. That was in 1992. America’s State Parks, an association of park professionals in all 50 states, created an interactive map to help you find a hike or other outdoor adventure wherever you are.
The Massachusetts idea spread from state to state, and by 2012, First Day Hikes were available throughout the U.S.
Kerosene lanterns light up the night on a First Day Hike at Warriors’ Path State Park at Kingsport, Tenn., that begins at midnight. Image courtesy of Tennessee State Parks
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“There’s something for everyone. There are events that let you hike at midnight, hike at sunrise or hike at noon if you enjoyed New Year’s Eve too much,” said Dia Hitt, chief of education and interpretation for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, who helps publicize the hikes nationwide.
“Hawaii has a sunrise hike at Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline on Oahu. I can’t imagine anything more beautiful,” she said.
People in Maine will be among the first to see the Jan. 1 sunrise, and Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands has an event at Two Lights State Park. A hike begins at 7:30 a.m., but anyone who arrives by 6:30 a.m. gets the bonus of seeing the sun emerge from the Atlantic Ocean.
Compounding the sunrise events in Hawaii and Maine, there is a cross-country ski outing at Whitefish Dunes State Park in Wisconsin and a noon waterfall hike at Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi that includes crossing a swinging bridge.
The weather can be brisk during Utah’s Antelope Island State Park First Day Hike, but that doesn’t deter the hikers. Image courtesy of America’s State Parks
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Traditional hikes range from strolls on paved nature trails to multi-mile walks, sometimes through challenging terrain. Park rangers lead most hikes or offer programs before or after you complete a prescribed route. Hitt said First Day activities tend to be free unless some type of loaner equipment is required.
“The goal is to get people outside, to visit their state parks and to enjoy nature,” Hitt said.
In Tennessee, most of the state’s 57 parks offer First Day Hikes, and ranger Marty Silver at Warriors’ Path State Park at Kingsport is serious about honoring the First Day concept. As the shiny ball in New York’s Times Square completes its descent, Silver and up to 40 hardy souls begin a 2-mile-long “Light Up the Night Hike.”
Silver’s hikers really do light up the night, because the park provides everyone with an old-timey kerosene lantern.
Many First Day Hikes are geared for hikers of all ages, including this one at Lake Thunderhead State Park in Oklahoma. Image courtesy of America’s State Parks
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Heather Spiva-McGee, marketing manager for Tennessee State Parks, stresses how accessible First Day Hikes are.
“No matter where you are in Tennessee, you are no more than an hour from a state park,” she said.
After 30 years of First Day Hikes, the America’s State Parks organization has tallied some big numbers.
In 2023, for instance, there were 1,175 hikes in 884 parks, and more than 60,000 people walked 117,104 miles.
Those numbers pushed America’s State Parks close to two major accomplishments. With good weather on Jan. 1, 2024, and with enough people who have resolved to get active, the cumulative number of hikers since 1992 will exceed 500,000. Also, the total distance hiked could break the 1-million-mile threshold.
Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park is known for its spring wildflowers, but it’s also popular for winter visits, including a First Day Hike. Image courtesy Tennessee State Parks
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Trip-planning resources: StateParks.org
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