Family Fun, Hiking, Recreation, Winter Activities

First Day Hikes Kick Off Year of Wellness

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2025 is the year of wellness in New York State, and our First Day Hikes event series was the perfect way to start the year! For the fourteenth time, state parks, historic sites, and public lands rang in the new year by hosting group hikes. More than 90 sites statewide participated, and thousands of New Yorkers joined us to begin 2025 on a high note.

There was little snow on the ground across most of New York this year, but lots of joy, optimism and community in the air. Here are a few highlights of the day. Browse our First Day Hikes 2025 Flickr album to see all the photos.

At Taughannock Falls State Park, more than 900 people and approximately 190 dogs came out for a bonfire and an invigorating walk. Visitors to Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn were rewarded with a snowy owl sighting. An intrepid group rang in not only the new year but the 140th anniversary of Niagara Falls State Park with a walk around the nation’s first state park.
Warming up at Seneca Lake State Park.
A selfie station at Herkimer Home State Historic Site; a staff member at Sackets Harbor poses with a First Day Hikes poster and bandana; a group from the Fort Niagara hike poses on the steps of one of the site’s buildings; Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons speaks to hikers at the popular Peebles Island hike; two hikers learn about the icehouse at Staatsburgh State Historic Site.
A city walk at Gantry Plaza State Park.
Hiking buddies: just a few of the hundreds of dogs who came to First Day Hikes across the state!

Thank you to everyone who came to experience First Day Hikes. Our deepest appreciation to the many staff, volunteers, and partners whose hard work made the day possible.

Making It Happen: thanks to the hundreds of staff, volunteers, and partners who help make First Day Hikes special every year.

First Day Hikes is not only a fun day out, but a great way to jump-start New Year’s resolutions to get more exercise, spend more time with family and friends, reduce stress, and cut down on screen time (some of the most common resolutions Americans made in 2024). Join our Wellness Challenge to help stay on track all year long.

All together now: group photos at Two Rivers State Park, Bethpage State Park, and Darien Lakes State Park.

We’ve gathered a list of 50 wellness-related missions you can achieve at most state parks and historic sites. Complete 25 of the missions this year, either as an individual or as a team or group, to receive a special-edition sticker. And save the date for the fifteenth First Day Hikes in 2026. Happy New Year!

Greeting the new year at Robert Moses State Park, Long Island.

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