New Year, No Fees: Governor Hochul Invites New Yorkers to Start New Year with Free First Day Hikes

New Year, No Fees: Governor Hochul Invites New Yorkers to Start New Year with Free First Day Hikes

Governor Kathy Hochul today encouraged New Yorkers to spend time outdoors this holiday season and celebrate the New Year at State Parks, historic sites, natural areas, environmental education centers, canal trails, and public lands across the Empire State on January 1, 2025. The 14th annual First Day Hikes program is offering varied hike options for people at nearly 100 locations across the state to enjoy. Governor Hochul waived parking fees at all State Parks to increase access to these events on New Year's Day. Admission to State Park grounds is always free.

"There's no better way to kick off the New Year than with family and friends at a First Day Hike to experience and enjoy the winter beauty of New York's amazing scenic landscapes," Governor Hochul said. "This year, I'm waiving parking fees at every State Park and Historic Site to encourage all New Yorkers to join in on this fantastic tradition."

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Canal Corporation are partnering to host the many walks and hikes taking place throughout the state as part of the 14th Annual First Day Hikes program.

New York State Parks Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons said, "First Day Hikes are a family-friendly tradition that offer a great way to embrace the outdoors this winter season and allow us to take a break and understand the importance of the connection nature and outdoor recreation has to our physical and mental wellness. On New Year's Day, I encourage you to connect with your community and visit a familiar or new destination to create new memories, treat your wellness and experience our state's natural treasures year-round."

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, "DEC is proud to continue the tradition of hosting hikes with our partners at State Parks for the popular First Day Hike program. For 14 years, we've successfully encouraged New Yorkers of all ages and abilities to find ideal outdoor places to visit with family and friends on New Year's Day. DEC's environmental education centers, State forests, wildlife management areas, and fire towers offer some of the best views and opportunities to experience scenic wonders across the state-the perfect places to celebrate the start of a new year."

New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton said, "First Day Hikes are a favorite New Year's Day tradition, and we look forward to starting 2025 with an extra burst of energy as we begin the Erie Canal's bicentennial year. I'd like to encourage you to check out our On the Canals Programming for New Year's Day for all of the ways you can experience the beauty of our 420 plus miles of the Canalway Trail network this winter season."

Empire State Development Vice President and Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levi said, "New York has countless awe inspiring settings for enjoying nature and the great outdoors, making a First Day Hike the perfect opportunity to start the new year. I LOVE NY encourages residents and visitors alike to extend day trips into getaways with an overnight stay at a cozy hotel, inn or lodge, paired with shopping, dining, history and arts experiences. With so many ways to pair renewal and rejuvenation with personal enrichment, it's so easy to love New York."

Most walks and hikes are family-friendly, and typically range from one to five miles depending on the location and conditions. More than 120 individual hikes are being offered at state parks, historic sites, canal trails, and DEC natural areas and environmental education centers.

Noteworthy for 2025 is a historic landscape and winter wildlife hike along Lake Champlain at Crown Point State Historic Site; a scenic hike up the Appalachian Trail at Bear Mountain State Park; a hike along the old tow paths of the Erie Canal at Schoharie Crossing; and a hike along the Lake Erie shoreline at Evangola State Park. The Catskill Mountain Club will be leading a hike up the Tremper Mountain Fire Tower qualifying for DEC's annual Catskills Fire Tower Challenge. There will also be a hike up Mt. Van Hoevenberg from the Olympic Complex along one of the newer trails in the High Peaks region.

A list of New York State First Day Hikes, location details, format, pre-registration requirements and additional information can be found online for Parks,  DEC, and Canals. Interested participants are encouraged to check the details of their preferred host site and register where required.

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.

List of First Day Hikes by region:

Western New York
Allegany State Park - Red House Area, Salamanca; 716.379.6941
Brockport Welcome Center, Brockport;
Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area (DEC), North Collins; 716.379.6389
DeVeaux Woods State Park, Niagara Falls; 716.282.5154 register here
Evangola State Park, Irving; 716.282.5154 register here
Fort Niagara State Park, Youngstown; 716.282.5154 register here (2 hikes)
Genesee Valley Greenway, Avon; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, Cuba; 716.378.1923
Genesee Valley Greenway, Fillmore; [email protected]
Genesee Valley Greenway, Hinsdale; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, Mt. Morris; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, Nunda; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, Rochester; register here
Genesee Valley Greenway, Scottsville; 585.493.3614
Genesee Valley Greenway, York; 585.493.3614
Hamlin Beach State Park, Hamlin; 716.638.7179 (2 hikes)
Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora; 716.282.5154 register here
Lakeside Beach State Park, Waterport; 716.638.7179
Letchworth State Park Humphrey Nature Center, Castile; 585.493.3688 (3 hikes)
Letchworth State Park Highbanks Picnic Shelter, Mt. Morris; 585.493.3688 (2 hikes)
Macedon Canal Park, Macedon;
Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls; 716.282.5154 register here (2 hikes)
Phillips Creek State Forest (DEC), West Almond; 607.382.9770 (4 hikes)
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (DEC), Depew; 716.683.5959
Whirlpool State Park, Niagara Falls; 716.282.5154 register here
Wilson Tuscarora State Park, Wilson; 716.282.5154 register here
Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area (DEC) - Ross Pond, Gowanda; 440.983.0023

Finger Lakes and Central New York
Bowman Lake State Park / DEC's McDonough State Forest, Oxford; 607.334.2718
Catharine Valley Trail, Watkins Glen; 607.329.2982
Cayuga-Seneca Trail / Lock CS-4, Waterloo
Chenango Valley State Park, Chenango Forks; 607.648.5251 (2 hikes)
Clark Reservation State Park, Jamesville; 315.559.7341
Delta Lake State Park, Rome; 315.337.4670
Fort Ontario State Historic Site, Oswego; 315.832.8285
Gilbert Lake State Park, Laurens; 607.432.2114
Glimmerglass State Park, Cooperstown; 607.547.8662
Green Lakes State Park, Fayetteville; 315.637.6111
Hemlock-Canadice State Forest (DEC), Canadice; 585.374.8366 (2 hikes)
Herkimer Home State Historic Site, Herkimer; 315.823.0398
Lorenzo State Historic Site, Cazenovia; 315.655.3200
Montezuma Audubon Center, Savannah; 315.539.5089; register here
Newtown Battlefield State Park, Elmira; 607.379.7645
Rogers Environmental Education Center, DEC's Friends Support Group, Sherburne; 607.674.4733 (3 hikes)
Selkirk Shores State Park, Pulaski; 315.298.5737
Seneca Lake State Park, Geneva; 315.789.2331
Taughannock Falls State Park, Trumansburg; 607.795.6631
Two Rivers State Park, Waverly; 607.379.7645

North Country/Adirondacks
Cat Mountain, DEC's Lake George Wild Forest, Bolton Landing; 518.338.8173
Crown Point State Historic Site, Crown Point; 518.597.4666
Jabe Pond Trail (DEC), Hague; 518.897.1242
John Brown Farm State Historic Site, Lake Placid; 518.527.0191
Lost Pond (DEC), Ticonderoga; 518.681.2232
Mt. Van Hoevenberg via the MVHE Trail, Lake Placid; 518.897.1283
Northwest Bay Trail, DEC's Lake George Wild Forest, Bolton Landing; [email protected]
Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC), Paul Smiths; 315.832.2695
Point Au Roche State Park, Plattsburgh; 518.563.0369
Robert G. Wehle State Park, Henderson; 315.938.5302
Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site, Sackets Harbor; 315.646.2321
Silver Lake Mountain (DEC), Black Brook; [email protected]
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry - Adirondack Interpretive Center, Goodnow Mountain, Newcomb; 518.582.2000; register here
Wellesley Island State Park/ Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, Fineview; 315.482.2479 (2 hikes)
Winona State Forest (DEC), Lorraine; 315.376.3521 (taking place on 12/31/2024)

Greater Capital District
Adirondack Ultra Cycling, 160 Broad St., Schuylerville; 518.583.3708
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (DEC), Delmar; 518.475.0291 (3 hikes)
Grafton Lakes State Park, Grafton; 518.279.1155 (3 hikes)
Moreau Lake State Park, Gansevoort; 518.793.0511
Mine Kill State Park, North Blenheim; 518.593.4393
Peebles Island State Park, Cohoes;  register here (2 hikes)
Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs; 518.810.6906
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, Fort Hunter; [email protected]
Thacher State Park, Voorheesville; 518.872.0800 (4 hikes)

Hudson Valley/Catskills
Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain; [email protected]
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Yorktown; 914.245.4434
Huckleberry Point Trail (DEC), Elka Park; 845.688.3369
Little Stony Point/Hudson Highlands State Park, Cold Spring; 917.658.4526
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, DEC's Kaaterskill Wild Forest, Haines Falls; 518.303.6050
Nyack Beach State Park, Upper Nyack; register here
Croton Gorge Park, Cortlandt; 646.303.1448; register here
Rockwood Hall, Sleepy Hollow; 914.370.9352; register here
Staatsburgh State Historic Site/Mills Norrie State Park, Staatsburg; register here
Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center, DEC's Friends Support Group, Wappingers Falls; 845.831.3800; register here
Taconic State Park - Copake Falls, Copake Falls; 518.912.7387
Tremper Mountain Fire Tower from Willow Trailhead (DEC), Phoenicia; [email protected]
Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, Poughkeepsie; 845.392.7800

New York City and Long Island
Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale; 631.962.0217
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, W. Babylon; 631.481.3514
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve, Staten Island; 631.601.4127, register here
Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale; 516.563.2769, register here
Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island City; register here
Hallock State Park Preserve, Jamesport; 631.315.5475
Heckscher State Park, North Babylon; 631.481.3513, register here
Hempstead Lake State Park, West Hempstead; 516.766.1029
Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, Wantagh; 516.548.7809
Mt. Loretto Unique Area (DEC), Staten Island; 718.877.1513
Ridge Conservation Area (DEC), Ridge; 631.444.0350
Robert Moses State Park, Babylon; 631.481.3516, register here
Shirley Chisholm State Park, Brooklyn, register here
St. Francis Woodlands (DEC), Staten Island; [email protected]
Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Park; 516.330.4438, register here

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit  parks.ny.gov, download the free  NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Join us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, and connect with us on  Facebook,  Instagram,  Twitter, and the  OPRHP Blog.

DEC manages more than five million acres of public lands, including three million acres in the Adirondack and Catskill forest preserves, 55 campgrounds and day-use areas, more than 5,000 miles of formal trails, and hundreds of trailheads, boat launches, and fishing piers. Many sites and trails are accessible to people with disabilities. Find recreation options by visiting Love Our NY Lands - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation or visit DECinfo Locator - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The State's Love Our New York Lands campaign encourages visitors to be respectful of other visitors in these shared spaces. Visitors are asked to share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as they found for others to enjoy. Visitors are encouraged to think of themselves as responsible for helping protect these irreplaceable destinations for future generations. DEC's Adventure NY initiative connects more New York families and visitors to the great outdoors. Plan your next outdoor adventure and connect with DEC on Facebook, X, Flickr and Instagram.

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