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OUTDOORS
Hiking on New Year’s Day is a Growing Trend
Guided First Day hikes now take place nationwide
The agency that I work for offers First Day Hikes. We plan guided hikes in various parks on New Year’s Day each year. This year, three parks in Northern Nevada and several parks in Southern Nevada held hikes on January 1, 2025. One park near Las Vegas held two hikes — one at midnight and one at midday!
I wasn’t that ambitious with mine, but I still planned guided hikes in two different parks (one hike in each park). The first hike brought in over 50 participants and several dogs. No one showed up for my second hike, so I went for a short walk on my own anyway.
According to Wikipedia, First Day hikes began on a small scale at Blue Hills Reservation State Park, near Boston, Massachusetts in 1992, then became nationwide by 2012, encouraged by the America’s State Parks Alliance. The park supervisor had the idea for that hike, which drew in 380 people the first year. It has grown exponentially since then.
The supervisor was later given an award by the National Association of State Park Directors. During the…