{"id":35554,"date":"2021-12-28T12:14:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T17:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=35554"},"modified":"2021-12-30T10:55:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T15:55:07","slug":"first-day-hikes-on-maryland-public-lands-to-welcome-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2021\/12\/28\/first-day-hikes-on-maryland-public-lands-to-welcome-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"First Day Hikes on Maryland Public Lands to Welcome 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ranger-led and Self-guided Hikes Available Across Maryland<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Photo

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford and Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio take a First Day Hike at Patapsco Valley State Park on Jan. 1, 2021. Photo by Joe Andrucyk, Maryland State House.<\/p><\/div>\n

The <\/span>Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/span><\/a> (DNR) invites everyone to take a <\/span>First Day Hike<\/span><\/a>, Maryland\u2019s annual tradition for a fun, healthy way to welcome the New Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Maryland Park Service will once again make First Day Hikes a weekend-long event, with ranger-led and self-guided opportunities across the state from Dec. 31, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranger-led hikes will be accompanied by park staff and leave at assigned times — some may require advance registration. Self-guided hikes will be available throughout the weekend, on well-marked trails. Park staff and volunteers may be available to get hikers started but will not be joining them on the trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

As always, all Maryland\u2019s state parks<\/a>, <\/span>state forests<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>wildlife management areas<\/span><\/a> will be open to all for trekking hundreds of miles of trails. Hikers should check the DNR website for information about public lands near them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no better way to start the new year than getting outside and exploring our natural and cultural resources with friends and family,\u201d Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio said. \u201cWe are pleased to offer our visitors an opportunity to enjoy the growing tradition of First Day Hikes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These hikes will provide a variety of outdoor adventures and experiences for every level of hiker and walker, including unique access to Maryland\u2019s cultural, historic natural resources and treasures, along with opportunities for education and stewardship. Many hikes are even pet-friendly. Stickers for the 2022 First Day Hikes will be available at select locations while supplies last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Weekend 2021, the <\/span>Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/span><\/a> estimates that 16,237 visitors took part in First Day Hikes in Maryland State Parks during the three-day period from January 1-3, 2021. Last year, only self-guided hikes were available due to the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After their visit, hikers are asked to <\/span>complete an online survey<\/span><\/a> to track their hikes and how many miles they covered.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide event sponsored by <\/span>America\u2019s State Parks<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note to Editors and Producers:<\/i><\/b> If you plan to cover a First Day Hike, <\/span><\/i>please be advised that onsite park staff may have limited availability for interviews or assistance.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ranger-led and Self-guided Hikes Available Across Maryland The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites everyone to take a First Day Hike, Maryland\u2019s annual tradition for a fun, healthy way to welcome the New Year.\u00a0 The Maryland Park Service will once again make First Day Hikes a weekend-long event, with ranger-led and self-guided opportunities across  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,4998,12],"tags":[2914,4035,4981],"class_list":["post-35554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-hiking","category-parks","tag-first-day-hikes","tag-jeannie-haddaway-riccio","tag-maryland-state-parks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35554"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35566,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35554\/revisions\/35566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}