First Day Hikes Can Get You Moving In The New Year

LONG ISLAND, NY — Starting the new year with exercise is probably a good idea, and New York’s governor is encouraging residents to celebrate the start of 2024 at a state park.

More than 90 hikes are being offered at state parks, historic sites, DEC state lands, wildlife areas, forest preserve and canal trails and environmental education centers. Eleven of them are on Long Island:

• 9:30 AM - Robert Moses State Park (Registration required, go to Eventbrite.com.)
• 10 AM - Bethpage State Park
• 10 AM - Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
• 10 AM - Connetquot River State Park Preserve
• 10 AM - Hallock State Park Preserve
• 10 AM - Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center
• 10 AM - Orient Beach State Park
• 12 PM - Montauk Point State Park
• 1:30 PM - Heckscher State Park
• 1:30 PM - Sunken Meadow State Park (Governor Alfred E. Smith)
• 2:30 PM - Hempstead Lake State Park

The walks and hikes are family friendly and typically range from 1 to 5 miles depending on the location and conditions.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the 13th annual First Day Hikes program is offering varied hike options for people to enjoy at more than 80 locations across the state. “New York’s public lands are something to behold,” she said. “We lead the nation on state public lands, and we house the nation’s oldest state park.”

Hochul said, with New York State Parks celebrating its centennial in 2024, the First Day Hikes is the first of many celebratory events.

“I invite all New Yorkers to begin the New Year by experiencing New York’s beautiful landscapes and enjoying the environmental and cultural legacy we call home,” she said.