New York authorities invite folks to start off 2024 with a First Day Hike
Over 80 state parks, Historic Sites, Wildlife Areas, Canal Trails and Public Lands across New York will take part in the 13th annual First Day Hike program, a movement to encourage people to get outdoors and enjoy the winter beauty all around.
“The First Day Hikes program is a tradition for New Yorkers and visitors alike to come together on New Year’s Day and celebrate the new year by spending time outdoors with friends and family,” said New York State DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.
The walks and hikes are family-friendly, and typically range from one to five miles depending on the location and conditions.
Starting in Massachusetts in 1992, First Day Hikes are now a national event taking place in all 50 states.
While the following locations are offering organized activities, most of New York’s public lands are accessible on this day and throughout the winter season.
Directly local to our North Country region, Delta Lake State Park will be among the several locations hosting New Year’s Day hikes.
A region-by-region list is available below:
Western New York
Allegany State Park - Quaker Area, Salamanca; 716.379.6941
Brockport Welcome Center, Brockport; 585.637.1000
Buckhorn Island State Park, Grand Island; 716.475.0192
Evangola State Park, Irving; 716.475.0192
Fort Niagara State Park, Youngstown; 716.282.5154 (2 hikes)
Genesee Valley Greenway, Hinsdale; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, Cuba; 585.209.5512
Genesee Valley Greenway, Fillmore;
Genesee Valley Greenway, Avon; 585.278.5100
Genesee Valley Greenway, Nunda; 585.905.2117
Genesee Valley Greenway, Rochester; 585.256.2130
Genesee Valley Greenway, Scottsville; 585.943.2611
Genesee Valley Greenway, York; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Park, Rochester; 585.490.4463
Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin; 585.964.2462
Letchworth State Park Humphrey Nature Center, Castile; 585.493.3680 (3 hikes)
Letchworth State Park Highbanks Picnic Shelter, Mt. Morris; 585.493.3680 (2 hikes)
Macedon Canal Park, Macedon; 315.986.5631
Mount Pleasant State Forest, Chautauqua; 716.363.2052
Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls; 716.282.5154
Phillips Creek State Forest, West Almond; 607.382.9770 (2 hikes)
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center, Depew; 716.683.5959
Wilson Tuscarora State Park, Wilson; 716.282.5154
Finger Lakes and Central New York
Bowman Lake State Park/McDonough State Forest, Oxford; 607.775.2545, Ext.121 (several hikes available)
Catharine Valley Trail, Watkins Glen; 607.481.0584
Chenango Valley State Park, Chenango Forks; 607.648.5251
Clark Reservation State Park, Jamesville;
Delta Lake State Park, Rome; 315.337.4670 (2 hikes)
Fort Ontario State Historic Site, Oswego; 315.343.4711 (guided and self-guided options)
Glimmerglass State Park, Cooperstown; 607.643.1275
Green Lakes State Park, Fayetteville; 315.637.6111
Hemlock-Canadice State Forest, Canadice; 585.259.4505 (2 hikes)
Herkimer Home State Historic Site, Herkimer; 315.823.0398
Montezuma Audubon Center, Savannah; 315.365.3588
Newtown Battlefield State Park, Elmira; 607.732.6287
Rogers Environmental Education Center, Sherburne; 607.674.4733 (2 hikes)
Selkirk Shores State Park, Pulaski; 315.298.5737
Seneca Lake State Park, Geneva; 315.789.2331
Taughannock Falls State Park, Trumansburg; 607.387.7041, Ext. 131
Two Rivers State Park, Waverly; 607.732.6287
North Country/Adirondacks
Cat Mountain, Lake George Wild Forest, Bolton Landing; 518.338.8173
Coney Mountain, Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest, Tupper Lake; 315.916.4038
John Brown Farm State Historic Site, Lake Placid; 518.527.0191
Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC), Paul Smiths; 315.832.2695
Point Au Roche State Park, Plattsburgh; 518.563.0369
Prospect Mountain, Lake George Wild Forest, Lake George; 518.623.1268
Robert G. Wehle State Park, Henderson; 315.938.5302
Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site, Sackets Harbor; 315.646.2321
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry – Adirondack Interpretive Center, Goodnow Mountain, Newcomb; 518.582.4551, Ext. 113
Wellesley Island State Park, Fineview; 315.482.2479
Winona State Forest, Lacona; 315.785.2610 (taking place on 12/31/2023)
Greater Capital District
Adirondack Ultra Cycling, Schuylerville; 518.583.3708
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, Delmar; 518.475.0291 (2 hikes)
Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton; 518.279.1155 (2 hikes)
Moreau Lake State Park, Gansevoort; 518.793.0511
Mine Kill State Park, North Blenheim; 518.827.8691
Peebles Island State Park, Cohoes (2 hikes);
Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs; 518.810.6906
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, Fort Hunter; 518.829.7516
Thacher State Park, Voorheesville; 518.807.7640
Hudson Valley/Catskills
Bramley Mountain, Delhi; 845.428.0160
Catskills Visitor Center, Mount Tremper; 845.688.3369
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Yorktown; 914.245.4434
Little Stony Point/Hudson Highlands State Park, Cold Spring; 410.456.8998
John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, Katonah; 914.232.5651
Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Peter's Kill, Kerhonkson; 845.255.0752
Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Sam's Point, Cragsmoor; 845.647.7989
North-South Lake Day Use Area, Haines Falls; 518.303.6050
Olana State Historic Site, Hudson; 518.751.6938
Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, Dobbs Ferry; 646.303.1448
Rockefeller State Park Preserve, Pleasantville; 914.631.1470
Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh;
Sterling Forest State Park, Tuxedo; 845.351.5907
Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center, Wappingers Falls; 845.831.3800
Taconic State Park - Copake Falls, Copake Falls; 518.329.3993 (2 hikes)
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, Poughkeepsie; 845.834.2867
West Kill Mountain, Hunter-West Kill Wilderness Area, West Kill; 607.832.4413
Willowemoc Wild Forest, Livingston Manor; 845.693.4181
New York City and Long Island
Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale; 631.962.0217
Camp Hero State Park, Montauk; 631.668.5000, Ext. 0
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, W. Babylon; 631.581.1072
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve, Staten Island; 347.850.5355
Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale; 631.481.3505
Hallock State Park Preserve, Riverhead; 631.315.5475
Heckscher State Park, North Babylon; 631.581.1072
Hempstead Lake State Park, West Hempstead; 516.766.1029
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Wantagh; 516.548.7823
Montauk Point State Park, Montauk; 631.668.5000
Mt. Loretto Unique Area, Staten Island; 718.313.8591
Orient Beach State Park, Orient; 631.323.2440
Ridge Conservation Area, Ridge; 631.444.0350
Robert Moses State Park, Babylon; 631.581.1072
Shirley Chisholm State Park, Brooklyn, 718.277.2420
Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park; 631.269.4333, Ext. 0
NYS DEC image.
