First Day Hikes

[2][5] Still others, such as at Spruce Run Recreation Area in New Jersey or at Red Rock Canyon State Park in California, are all-day affairs.

[5] Walks often stop to hear the guides describe local flora, fauna, or historical sites of interest, such as at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in New Jersey.

[11] The tradition began on January 1, 1992, at the Blue Hills Reservation state park in Norfolk County, Massachusetts outside of Boston.

[6] It was the idea of Patrick Flynn, supervisor of Blue Hills Reservation, who had remembered a February winter hike taking place in his home state of Ohio.

[18] It subsequently became an annual tradition, with the 30th iteration taking place in 2010,[19] and became very popular over time, with people driving from various other parts of the state to join in with up to 300 others.

[7] The Ilia Fehrer / Judy Johnson Memorial Beach Walk, named after the two women who started it, is now part of Maryland's roster of First Day Hikes.

[1] The effects of the 2017–18 North American cold wave, which gave frigid temperatures across much of the nation, resulted in numbers for 2018 decreasing to 32,000 participants across some 1,200 hikes.

[30] The America's State Parks association proclaims, "What better way to kick off the New Year than by getting a jump start burning off those extra holiday calories in the great outdoors?

'"[20] Some people engage in First Day Hikes to counteract the effects of New Year's Eve celebrations the night before, while others find the outdoor activity the best aspect of the whole holiday.

[7] Another parks official in Iowa said, "We started this as a health initiative, but it's really just grown into a good way to spend time with the family and do something that you maybe normally wouldn't do on that holiday.