{"id":40491,"date":"2023-12-07T12:24:07","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T17:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=40491"},"modified":"2023-12-07T12:54:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T17:54:12","slug":"first-day-hikes-scheduled-for-2024-new-years-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2023\/12\/07\/first-day-hikes-scheduled-for-2024-new-years-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"First Day Hikes Scheduled for 2024 New Year\u2019s Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo

First Day Hike at Patapsco Valley State Park, photo by Maryland DNR<\/p><\/div>\n

The <\/span>Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/span><\/a> (DNR) invites all Marylanders to take a <\/span>First Day Hike<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the annual tradition for a fun, healthy way to welcome the New Year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maryland State Parks will be offering First Weekend hike opportunities across the state from December 31, 2023 \u2013 January 2, 2024. First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by <\/span>America\u2019s State Parks<\/span><\/a> that encourages all 50 states to offer outdoor hiking opportunities to kick off the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst Day Hikes are a great way to start the New Year off on the right foot\u2026or boot,\u201d said Maryland Park Service Director Angela Crenshaw. \u201cMaryland State Parks are offering a variety of opportunities all over the state to get out and hike to celebrate the start to 2024. Bring some water, a snack, and hike in the New Year on your public lands. I look forward to seeing you on the trail!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For 2024, Maryland State Parks will offer more than 60 hikes across 40 state parks. As in previous years, there are two types of hikes available:<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranger-led hikes: These hikes are accompanied and include interpretation by one or more Park Rangers, have specific start times, and often require advance registration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-guided hikes: These hikes will be available throughout the weekend, on well marked trails. Park staff and volunteers may be available to help hikers get started but will not join them on the trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

With nearly 50 ranger-led hikes and 15 self-guided hike options through the weekend, there is a wide variety of outdoor adventures and experiences for every level of hiker and walker throughout Maryland.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some highlights include:<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Western Maryland<\/b>, hikers can join a ranger-led First Day \u201cFitness Hike\u201d at Rocky Gap State Park<\/a>, for those looking to break a sweat to kick off the New Year, a ranger-led guided \u201cFirst Day Hike through History\u201d at South Mountain Battlefield State Park<\/a>, and a\u00a0 \u201cLittle Naturalist First Day Hike\u201d, an easy 1-mile hike for children and their families, at New Germany State Park.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Central Maryland<\/b>, the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail<\/a> will offer bicyclists a guided \u201cFirst Day Bike\u201d ride; hikers have a choice of either an early morning First Day Sunrise Hike or First Day Sunset Hike at North Point State Park<\/a>, and a \u201cLast Day Hike\u201d or \u201cKids Countdown Hike\u201d on New Year\u2019s Eve at Patapsco Valley State Park<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Southern Maryland<\/b>, hikers can bring their four-legged friends on a \u201cTrails and Tails\u201d ranger-led First Day Hike at Calvert Cliffs State Park<\/a>, join the guided \u201cWhere One Goes Pleasantly\u201d First Day Hike along Mattawoman Creek at Smallwood State Park<\/a>; or kick off the year with a \u201cFirst Day the Rosaryville Way\u201d hike at Rosaryville State Park<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Maryland\u2019s <\/span>Eastern Shore<\/b>, hikers can bring their binoculars for a guided \u201cFirst Day Bird Walk\u201d or bring their\u00a0 own horse for a \u201cNew Year’s Day Ride\u201d at Tuckahoe State Park<\/a>, close out the first day of 2024 with a \u201cFirst Sunset Hike\u201d at Janes Island State Park<\/a>, or gather up the whole family for the \u201cFirst Day Family Hike\u201d along the beach at Assateague State Park<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

These hikes provide unique access to Maryland\u2019s cultural, historic, and natural resources and treasures, along with opportunities for education and stewardship. Many hikes are pet-friendly. \u201cI Hiked\u201d stickers will be available at select locations while supplies last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to scheduled hikes, all Maryland\u2019s <\/span>state parks<\/span><\/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

After taking part in a First Day Hike or visiting a state park, hikers are asked to <\/span>c<\/span><\/a>omplete an online survey<\/span> to track their hikes and how many miles they covered.\u200b\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note to Editors, Reporters, and Producers:<\/i><\/b> Media is always welcome to cover a First Day Hike on our public lands; if possible contact the park office where you wish to attend in advance. Please be advised that onsite park staff will\u00a0 have limited availability for interviews or other assistance.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites all Marylanders to take a First Day Hike \u2014 the annual tradition for a fun, healthy way to welcome the New Year.\u00a0\u00a0 Maryland State Parks will be offering First Weekend hike opportunities across the state from December 31, 2023 \u2013 January 2, 2024. First Day Hikes are  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":[957,5337,4998,23,12],"tags":[4797,2914,4981,5393],"class_list":["post-40491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-camping-camping","category-hiking","category-land","category-parks","tag-angela-crenshaw","tag-first-day-hikes","tag-maryland-state-parks","tag-state-forests"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40491","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=40491"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40498,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40491\/revisions\/40498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}